A New Life
by throwaway101
Summary: After an accident leaves Major Sakamoto a paraplegic, she is forced to retire. What happens when she meets the 501st four years later? (Note: Slight AU, everything is more modern than the show. ie. TV's exist.)
1. A Surprise Reunion

"Ready Mio?" asked Junko.

"Yeah let's go, hurry up Waka!" replied Mio. Wakamoto suddenly appeared from the kitchen.

"Oi, don't rush me," she said, walking out the door.

As Mio wheeled herself out of the house, her mind drifted back to old memories. She was 25 now, it had been around 4 years since the accident.

* * *

 _She was surrounded by Neuroi. Her strikers were faltering, it was a miracle that they didn't just shut off. She had always been willing to die in battle, but she had never wanted to go down without a fight._

 _"Mio! Try and fly to the left, there could be a small gap, I'll open fire to widen it, okay?" Minna ordered. Everyone on the line could hear desperation emanating from her voice. Mio immediately complied and started looking for the opening._

 _"Ok, I'll give it a shot," she replied to her commander. She turned to the left and immediately saw the hole Minna was talking about, suddenly it widened significantly and she flew out. However, as she turned, a Neuroi from behind shot a laser and hit her strikers. They exploded and propelled her to the ground. Mio felt her legs being seared by the blast_ and nearly _blacked out from the throbbing pain._

 _"MIO" Minna screeched._

 _"SAKAMOTO-SAN!" Miyafuji screamed. She heard all the 501st call out to her, but she couldn't do anything. She thought she faintly heard the sound of an engine coming up behind her as the ground rushed towards her. She was going to die._

 _She_ watched _the world spiral in front of her. She was disoriented and tried stabilizing_ _herself. Using all her mental strength, she fought through to stop spinning only to see green_ in front _of her face._

 _"PULL UP MIO!" she heard Minna bellow through the line, and suddenly her strikers (or what was left of them) roared to life, and she tried pulling up._

 _It was too late._

 _Her strikers caught the ground and she was thrown out of them, her face smashing the ground. Her nose crunched and shattered from the impact. Her body tumbled back into the air in a somersault before she crashed back to earth, hitting her back. She felt something crack and nearly screamed out in pain. She tumbled five more times, feeling her bones shatter on each impact before hitting a tree and coming to a stop. She lay there, her right leg burned, ankles shattered, elbows twisted, nose gushing blood, with a definite concussion._

 _She lay on her back, eyes blurry, seeing figures coming towards her, and red lasers in the sky. That was the last she remembered before blacking out._

* * *

 _"You're never going to walk again," the doctor repeated for the third time. No, that wasn't possible. How could she never walk? What about flying, what about fighting? What about her dream?"_

 _"Miyafuji-san healed most of your injuries, but the crash badly damaged your T8-T11 vertebrae. Your spine was almost completely severed. Your T12-L1 vertebrae were the ones that took the most damage, with the L1 vertebrae being completely severed. You might barely gain any function in your legs. I'm sorry."_

 _No, they were wrong. She would fly again. She had her magic, she would find away._

 _"Your magic was used up after you tried forcing your striker to pull-up. You are going to have to retire, if you aren't medically discharged."_

* * *

 _"Just accept it Mio!" Junko exclaimed. Mio just continued to be stubborn. She desperately wanted to walk. She didn't want to give into her body. "Don't you get it Mio? Look at the goddam results. You're never going to walk again!" Junko's frustration finally boiled over. She was sick and tired of her friend's unwillingness to accept the situation. But when she looked Mio in the eye, she instantly regretted her outburst._

 _"Don't you think I know that," Mio said. Her lip quivered, voice shaky. Tears welled up in her eyes. She was finally breaking, her resolve gone. "I just…I just want to fight again…I want to fight with the 501st again!" She finally broke, sobs racking her body, and all Junko could do was hold her childhood best friend and try to soothe her to the best of her ability._

* * *

Rehab had been the worst part of it all. After accepting her fate, she developed depression. Although, she was doing fine now with the help of anti-depressants.

"You were thinking again, weren't you?" asked Waka. She was more perceptive than she let on and Mio scolded herself for allowing her emotions to be shown. However, she wasn't going to lie.

"Ya, I was. Look, I know I need to move on, but trust me I'm fine now." She said. The smile she gave was genuine enough to convince Wakamoto.

"We're going to see Sensei at what time today?" Junko asked. Their former Sensei from the time of the Fuso sea incident had invited them for dinner. She had been a tremendous help for Mio, and she would be eternally thankful.

"At eight, now come on, let's have lunch," replied Waka. They went to a recommended shop and ordered their food. They discussed the news. Since the 501st (after Mio's medical discharge) had liberated Romagna, the Neuroi went on a strange decline. Many fighter wings had been disbanded to allow re-distribution of the soldiers, while the 501st were sent to aid remaining countries. This allowed Wakamoto and Junko to retire, allowing them to help their friend.

As Mio was about to discuss some Kendo competition, she heard an all too familiar voice from behind.

"Sakamoto-San?" a voice that was an exact copy of Miyafuji's asked.

She turned around, only to come face to face with the members of the 501st.


	2. Catching Up

_She looked out the window for what seemed like eternity. It became a habit when she didn't want to think. Thinking just hurt now, what was the point?_

 _"…most of your vertebrae were shattered.."_  
 _"...you're lucky to make it out alive.."_  
 _"...but you won't be able to walk ever again.."_  
 _"…your magic is gone…"_  
 _"…I'm sorry…"_

 _Tears quickly welled up in her eyes. All that technical information was just a way for the doctors to say that she would have to retire._

 _She wouldn't be able to fight anymore._

 _She would have to go home._

 _She would have to leave the 501st._

 _She nearly broke down at that thought. Thinking hurt, she shouldn't do that anymore._

 _No, she would walk again. No matter how long it took. She'd bring her numb legs back to life._

 _Suddenly she heard a knock on the door. Startled, she took a minute to compose herself before saying, "come in."_

 _Minna walked in with a soft, sad smile; something she'd been wearing on her face for days since the accident._

 _"Hello, Mio."_

* * *

That was one of the memories that Mio remembered most. Nothing about is was significant, but she realized that many of her memories shared the same thing.

The looks people gave her.

The pity.

God, how she despised pity. It was her biggest pet peeve. Yes, she was injured, but people didn't have to look at her like her life was over. And yet everyone just pitied and approached her with the utmost caution should she implode.

Mio's injuries were very severe, but thankfully only from the bottom half of her back. She still had normal hand function, she could twist and move around. There were many times where she was thankful that she had not damaged any of her cervical vertebrae.

However, the sight of the 501st four years after the accident nearly made her body go haywire. She gawked at them, trying to think clearly, trying to say anything. Thankfully, her red-head commander opened up the gate to conversation for her.

"Mio, is that really you?" she spoke softly. But something was different. Mio realized it was because unlike last time, there was no pity in her voice. Mio finally got over most of her shock, after all, she didn't want to look like an idiot. She smiled.

"Yes Minna, it's me," she said. Her former commander walked over to her. Mio was confused until she was engulfed in the redhead's arms. The commander was hugging her and started shaking.

"Minna, please don't cry," Mio said as she struggled to hold in her own emotions. Minna retreated and just smiled widely with tears dripping from eyes, just like a leaky faucet.

"I know, it's just…" the commander struggled to put her thoughts into words, "it's been so long…and, the wing was never really the same without you."

"Really? It seems like you've all been fine," replied Mio, as she smiled at her former comrades. Suddenly something dawned on her, "Minna, don't take this the wrong way, but why are you here?"

It was strange. Minna was from Karlsland, so why would she be so far away from home? Really, what were any of the 501st doing here?

"It's a bit of a story, how about we go sit somewhere more quiet?"

* * *

Junko and Wakamoto tagged along as they were invited by Minna as well. They decided to return back to Mio and Junko's house. After the accident, they realized Mio would need at least some assistance and so they were able to convince her to move in with Junko. Besides, Mio couldn't cook to save her life and they didn't want her cooking to kill her after all the effort and emotion that went into rehab.

"So, long story short, the wing was disbanded a few months ago and we decided to meet for a reunion," explained Minna. The words circled around Mio's head until their true meaning dawning on her.

"Disbanded? Are you serious? Why?" Mio asked, she was incredibly confused, "and even if you were disbanded, that would just mean you were split up. So how are you here?"

"Mio, our powers have dwindled. With the Neuroi in this weird retreat, the governments saw no need for us, and decided for us to be disbanded. A few months after that, we all decided to retire. We felt we could move on from the war," Minna finished explaining. Miyafuji decided to pipe in at that moment.

"We've all started branching out and doing new things. Like right now I'm running the clinic and volunteering at the hospital. Lynne is a 1st-grade teacher," explained Miyafuji.

"I'm running a garage and competing in races," added Shirley.

The rest of the 501st started explaining what they had been doing. Minna was now a music instructor. Perrine had started a charity for those affected by the Neuroi in Gallia. Eila still gave tarot card readings, and was helping Sanya out, who was a piano tutor. Barkhorn was a gym instructor, specializing in weightlifting. Erica was apparently working at a sweet shop, and Lucchini actually turned out to be a pre-school teacher, because apparently, she liked little kids.

"Miyafuji contacted us a few months after we were sorting ourselves out, and suggested that we should have a reunion. We all liked the idea and decided to come to Fuso," finished Perrine.

Everything became quiet as they enjoyed each other's company. Then Minna piped up.

"So, what have you been doing Mio?"

The room seemed to drop a few degrees and everyone (excluding Junko and Wakamoto) held their breath. How would Mio take that question? Mio seemed to sense their sudden worry and chuckled to herself.

"Relax you guys, it's fine. To be honest I haven't been doing much. Rehab took a while and I'm currently trying to figure out what I can do," she explained. Everyone exhaled in relief.

"Mio, we should go now or else we'll be late to see Sensei," Junko warned.

"Really? Well then, how about we all catch-up tomorrow morning? I'm really sorry to cut it off like this," Mio said. However, everyone seemed to understand and nodded. The now reunited 501st agreed to meet up at a Cafe in the morning. Mio left her house, feeling like some huge weight was lifted off of her.


	3. A Memory and a Meeting

_Mio woke up to the smell of disinfectant. Where was she? She looked_ _up, and her eyes asked to be shielded from the bright light. After a few_ minutes, _her vision cleared, but every small movement amplified the pain in her head. She_ realized _she must be in the infirmary, but she couldn't remember why._

 _Her throat was on fire, and she was sure her tongue was about to disintegrate into dust any second. Water. She really wanted water. She turned her head to the left to see a glass of water, placed there like a beacon to her thirsty body. She reached out with her right arm_ , _and realized_ _it was much weaker than before. She_ realized _that she felt more fatigued than she expected. Everything that required effort left her exhausted, as she brought her arm up so that the cup would reach her chapped lips. The water was like a gift from God himself._

 _She placed the cup back down and decided to look for the nurse. It was then that she tried getting out of bed._

 _Emphasis on tried._

 _Her legs didn't move._

 _Mio was confused. What was going on? She tried telling her legs to move, and they didn't respond. It was then she realized_ _she couldn't feel them in the first place._

 _Panic ensued. Her mind literarily thrown into a frenzy, she couldn't decide whether to scream or to cry. Her legs, oh God, where they even there? She lifted the sheets to get a good look at her legs, which were both bandaged, her light leg more than the left. She tried again._

 _It was then she started screaming._

 _"DOCTOR, NURSE, OI, WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ON?!" she exclaimed, gasping for breath, unaware that her heart was going haywire under the stress. She couldn't breathe._ _. She couldn't do anything,_

 _It was then a nurse and the doctor barged into the room._

 _"Major Sakamoto, you need to calm down. You're having a panic attack," the nurse tried to soothe her, but it fell on deaf ears. Mio was unresponsive, she felt like she was choking and wanted to cry. Why, why wouldn't her legs move?_

 _"My legs, I can't…I can't feel….they won't move," Mio gasped, forcing the words out of her throat. Her panic only increased when she saw the grave look the doctor had plastered on his face._

 _"Nurse, give her a sedative, she's going to go into cardiac arrest if we don't do something," he ordered. The nurse grabbed a needle, and with a surprisingly strong grip held Mio's arm still. She jammed the needle into her arm. After thirty seconds, she felt she could breathe normally, but a wave of fatigue slammed into her._

 _As the world turned black, she heard one more person barge into the room._

 _"Sakamoto-San!"_

* * *

Mio woke with a start. That memory hadn't resurfaced for a while, so she was surprised by the dream. She had no idea how accurate it was, but with no way to check, she took it as it was. Then she started her morning routine.

Mio, with no paralysis in her arms, was classified as a paraplegic, so she had more control of her body than if she had damaged her neck. Transferring from the bed to the wheelchair had become second nature to her. She started by scooting over, and the pushing her legs so they hung off the bed. She reached out and brought the wheelchair closer to her, and locked the wheels. With one had on the bed and the other on the wheelchair, she used her arms to lift up and push her onto the cushioned wheelchair (after all, she didn't want pressure sores). She wheeled herself to the bathroom, and essentially used the same method to transfer to the toilet.

While in rehab, Mio learned that she would have something called a bladder and bowel program. Due to her injury, she would no longer be able to go to the bathroom naturally, as she could no longer control her bladder. The nurses showed her how to train her body for the bowel movements, and even then she would have to trigger it herself. She now also used catheters, but thankfully there were more modern self-lubricating catheters that she could use and dispose of, making her life just a bit easier.

She learned that not being able to walk was the easy part.

However, because of the lack of paralysis in her arms, she was able to do it on her own. It allowed her to be just a bit more independent. She finished her routine, and started to get dressed. It was frankly a pain in the ass, so she chose the simplest things that could still pass as decently good: a t-shirt and some sports pants. As she took off her pajama shorts she realized how skinny her legs had gotten. Her arms were quite toned from wheelchair pushing, and she found some things she could still do in the gym. However, her legs were a different story. From lack of use, they had atrophied a lot compared to the muscle-toned legs she once had.

Brushing that thought off, she grabbed her most comfortable pair of shoes and wheeled herself out of her room to the kitchen. She was surprised to see Junko already there. However, Junko could tell what Mio was thinking from the look on her face.

"What, you need to have at least something small for breakfast," Junko said, smiling. Mio was grateful for having such a good friend and smiled back. Junko handed her a small bowl of rice and chopsticks.

"Hey Junko.." Mio started, getting Junko's attention, "what did you think of the 501st yesterday?"

"Like, what they thought of you?" Junko clarified, and Mio nodded, "honestly, they seemed so happy. Listen, if you're worried, let me tell you this: they won't judge you. "

"Junko, it's not about the judging, it's about the pity. I don't want them to pity me, I mean yes, I'm in a wheelchair, but I'm fine now. I'm mostly independent, I don't need people's help and I don't want their pity."

"Then show them that," Junko replied. The answer caught Mio off guard, "you be you, and they'll realize they have no need to give you their pity."

" I guess you're right. Thanks," Mio replied. Junko had been so much of a help, she had helped bring Mio up in her worst moments. Mio honestly had no idea what she had done to deserve such a good friend. Junko smiled at her best friend.

"Anytime."

* * *

Mio wheeled herself to the cafe. It wasn't that far, and her arms were stronger than most people would suspect. After all, she had been doing this for four years. She caught sight of the sign that said お茶とチョコレートカフェ(tea and chocolate cafe). She got to the door, and wheeled herself through as it was open, and immediately caught sight of the 501st. They had also caught sight of her.

"Mio!"

"Sakamoto-San!"

Then a chorus of "Major" could be heard from the rest of the 501st. Mio chuckled to herself. Four years after retirement, she was still the Major to them.

"You guys, it's been four years and you've all grown up. Just call me Mio."

Her words took a moment to register with them, but after a brief moment of surprise, they seemed to accept it. A waitress came over and they all ordered some tea and sandwiches. However, Mio remembered her antidepressants and reached into her book bag. However, it slipped from her grasp and a few of the contents spilled out.

An orange pill bottle rolled out and stopped at Miyafuji's feet. Like any good person, she reached down to pick them up, but her eyes were glued to the label. She looked up at Mio, with shock evident on her face.

"Sakamoto-San, these are…." Miyafuji stopped, not wanting to violate Mio's privacy. Minna sensed the concern in her voice and quickly tried to get involved.

"Miyafuji, what's wrong?" she asked. Mio didn't want them to worry, as she had come to terms with it long ago.

"Miyafuji, it's fine, you can tell them," Mio said. Miyafuji understood and immediately clarified.

"They're anti-depressants."

The statement seemed to shock the whole 501st. The looked up at Mio, eyes wide as saucers. They were making her chuckle a lot today.

"I didn't really handle the accident well," she explained, "but don't worry, I've been seeing someone and honestly, I'm fine now," She smiled.

Seeing her smile allowed the others to relax, and soon they got into a discussion on the current state of the Neuroi. Mio smiled. It was going to be a good day.


	4. The Process of Recovery

After the food in the cafe, the 501st split up. Miyafuji, Lynne, and Perrine went in search of some clothing shops. Erica, Shirley, Trude, and Lucchini went to get more food. Eila and Sanya went walking. Minna decided to stay with Mio, and after been given the needed directions they all decided to meet back at Miyafuji's house for lunch.

Mio wheeled through the streets, somehow able to keep up with Minna's pace, something that didn't go unnoticed. It was a beautiful day, with a few clouds covering the blue roof of the Earth. I nice breeze spread through the city. Minna decided to get to know more details about Mio's last four years.

"Mio, you said you used anti-depressants, but when were you diagnosed?" asked Minna. The question caught Mio off guard, but she quickly recovered.

"It definitely wasn't immediate. I had convinced myself that I was going to walk, and I got extremely angry when I was asked to at least try figuring out the wheelchair. I guess part of me was worried that if I accepted it, I would never walk again," she explained, " but then, I ended up accepting it, but I took it so negatively that ended up giving up."

"Giving up?" Minna questioned. Mio nodded in affirmation.

"I lost my appetite, I ended up with insomnia, I just didn't want to do anything," Mio continued, "I would just sit and let them wheel me from room to room. I lost my drive. I was extremely irritable and just...empty."

Minna was shocked, that wasn't like Mio at all. Had the accident really crushed her that much? No, it couldn't have been that bad.

She was proven wrong.

"Junko says that it was like she looked at an empty shell of me. She even said that there were times she worried she would never get me back," said Mio, "this went on for a few months."

Mio's recounted her time at the hospital. Even after four years, it seemed like the memories were burned into her brain.

* * *

 _"Mio, come one, you need to eat," Junko pleaded. Mio's lack of appetite was getting out of hand. She was losing weight, and Junko was getting desperate._

 _"Mio, you can't keep on doing this! You need to get strong again, what's wrong with you?!" Wakamoto exclaimed. She didn't mean to sound harsh, she was just extremely worried about her friend. Mio had been so out of character lately._

 _"It's not like I'm fucking going anywhere. I can't do anything in the first place. What's the fucking point?" Mio snapped back. She was sick of this. She wasn't going to be able to fight again, but that was what she had. She had no other base except being a soldier, so what was she supposed to do now?_

 _"Mio that's not true!" Junko exclaimed. She hated hearing her friend put herself down. She could still be useful, she just needed to think about what worked for her._

 _"Like what then?" Mio questioned them. It caught them off guard. How were they supposed to answer that when she had given them no time to think? Mio took their silence as an answer._

 _"Exactly," she replied._

 _"Wait, you can teach Kendo!" Wakamoto replied. Mio loved Kendo as much as she loved fighting. She was extremely skilled and had always enjoyed training others in the ancient activity. However, Waka was perplexed when Mio started laughing like a maniac. What was so funny?_

 _"Waka, please, don't make me laugh. Do you actually think that someone is going to listen to a cripple, much less in a sport that requires proper physical ability."_

 _Wakamoto and Junko were at a loss. What could they do to show their friend that she was still useful?_

* * *

 _Junko pushed Mio through the deserted hallway. There were dark bags under Mio's red eyes from lack of sleep. She sat there, unmoving, silent, completely defeated. This was Mio's shell. Wherever the real Mio was in the back of her mind, Junko had yet to find._

 _Mio's body had changed drastically since the accident. Months of lack of exercise and lack of food had caused Mio to atrophy. It was especially evident in her legs, which experienced no movement or use at all._

 _Junko was getting worried. This was going to get urgent soon. She was pretty sure Mio had severe depression, as she had discussed it with the doctors; however bringing it up once with Mio caused her to snap and have a fit. All she needed was for Mio to decide to work on herself. All she had to know was what the trigger for that would be._

* * *

 _Mio was having a very very very bad day. She had ended up having two leaks since the morning since the bloody catheter bullshit wasn't working for her. No matter what she did she couldn't get it right. She hated having the nurses put in the tube, she found it humiliating._

 _She sat there, miserable, dark rain clouds looming over her head. Why did this have to happen to her? Suddenly, a knock was heard from the door, and she slowly looked up, a frown growing on her face. What was it this time? Junko opened the door, and peeked her head in._

 _"Mio," she started, "there's someone here to see you." She then pulled her head out, leaving Mio curious. Who was this visitor? Everyone she thought of would be too busy._

 _She was wrong._

 _Mio's eyes widened as she watched her Sensei from eight years ago walk in, a calm look on her face. Mio put her head down in shame. Her sensei was going to see her in this state. How pathetic. The student she had trained so diligently had given up._

 _"Mio, look up at me," her sensei said. Mio complied, only because she respected the woman immensely. However, she just wanted to disappear. She had never wanted anyone, especially her sensei, to see her in this state. Kitagou Fumika was one of the most respected soldiers ever, and had been in charge of Mio when she was just 19. Mio felt shame knowing that this is what her sensei would be seeing after 8 years. A broken, lifeless, and defeated human being._

 _Fumika walked over to Mio, observing her carefully. She had received a desperate call from Junko, and had been informed of Mio's state. She understood and accepted Junko's plea for help. Everything she would do was calculated and thought about meticulously._

 _She walked up to Mio, and then picked her up from her armpits, holding her up in a strong grasp. Mio was surprised. She hadn't expected this._

 _Unlike eight years ago, Mio was now almost eye level with her sensei. Mio was surprised when she was pulled into a hug._

 _She had a sudden urge to cry, but held it in. However, she didn't conceal it well, because Fumika sensed her holding back her tears. She spoke up for the first time since coming._

 _"Mio, you don't have to hold it in anymore," she said. She was surprised, because that was all it took for the damn to break. Mio started shaking, sobbing, finally spilling the surpassed emotions that had been held back since the first diagnosis. Fumika held Mio in a hug like that, supporting her as she couldn't stand. It went on for ten more minutes before Mio collected herself as best she could. Fumika sat Mio back down in her wheelchair, and got a stool to sit next to her. She immediately got the point._

 _"Mio, why are you doing this to yourself?" She asked. It was the question everyone wanted to know._

 _But Mio didn't know how to answer._

 _"I…I don't want to be stuck in a wheelchair for the rest of my life...I don't want….I don't," Mio couldn't breath, she couldn't go on, she didn't want to do this anymore, "I don't want this!" She pointed at her legs, and started shaking in frustration, tears once again spilling out of her eyes._

 _"I want to be able to walk, and run, and train, and fight!" she was almost yelling at this point, "I hate this! I hate all of it! Why? WHY?! Why….why does it have to be like this?"_

 _Mio started sobbing again, and Fumika pulled her into her embrace, supporting Mio. She understood why Junko had called her. Mio was in a terrible state mentally, and her pride wouldn't let her express her feelings, but that was making things worse. She decided to speak._

 _"Mio, you can still do all those things." She stopped as Mio looked up at her, sniffing, with red puffy eyes, "you are the only one stopping yourself. Let them show you how to live, and you'll find a way to do the rest."_

 _Mio listened to what she said. She seemed to have calmed down again, and was thinking about her words. She spoke up._

 _"Do you really believe that?" Mio asked. Without missing a beat, her sensei replied with full faith._

 _"Yes"_

* * *

"It was after that I started seeing someone, and they really helped. I was able to get antidepressants, and Sensei kept on visiting to keep track and encourage me," Mio finished explaining. That had really been a turning point in her recovery. She started taking initiative, asking nurses how to use the wheelchair and starting to put effort into the bowel and bladder program.

She was also able to make a list of exercises that she could do to make sure she could stay decently fit. She couldn't do anything about her legs, so they stayed skinny from the atrophy. However, other than that she was perfectly healthy. She made sure to do everything humanly possible to avoid pressure sores, and now had a decently normal life.

Minna contemplated everything Mio said. It was hard to believe that the former Major could ever be in such a state, however, she did understand why. Fighting was everything for Mio, so such a sudden change with horrible circumstances would have affected her badly.

"Is there anything else you want me to know?" Minna inquired. She didn't want to insult Mio in any form, but was surprised by Mio laughing.

"Trust me, just don't treat me like a special person that needs help all the time and we'll both be happy," She said. Mio smiled at Minna, and Minna smiled back. Suddenly something caught Mio's attention.

"There's a sports shop there, I need new training clothes. Do you want to go in?" Mio asked. Minna nodded, while chuckling to herself.

Mio really hadn't changed.


	5. Like The Past, But Different

After two hours, Mio and Minna decided to head to Miyafuji's house. Mio got two new sports shirts (which was great since she was planning on training in the next few days), while Minna later on entered a clothes shop and bought a white blouse. Minna was again surprised by how well Mio was able to keep up with her, and decided to question her.

"Mio, how are you able to use the wheelchair so well? You don't even seem tired from all the pushing," Minna said. Mio seemed surprised by that question.

"Eh, well, I still workout. I go to the gym at least 3 times a week," Mio answered. Minna sweat dropped at how Mio was still so focused on training.

"Well, what do you do then? Lift weights?" Minna inquired further. She couldn't really imagine a variety of things that Mio could do from a wheelchair, and was curious as to how she kept up her strength.

"Well, I do use the bench press a lot, since lifting weights is the simplest and easiest thing. There are other stuff I do use though, such as the lat pull-down machine, dipping bars, and cables and pulleys," she explained. Minna silently pondered this, and how her friend was doing everything she could do, to reflect her life before the accident. Mio startled Minna when she suddenly spoke.

"Sometimes I think about the accident, and wonder how I didn't turn out worse," Mio said, "I could have broken every vertebrae and been left dependent for life, but instead I only harmed the lower half of my back."

"You shouldn't think about what happened, Mio. Just be grateful that you weren't left worse off," replied Minna. Even she shivered at the thought of Mio's state if anything had been worse.

"Ya, I guess," Mio replied. The sat in a comfortable silence, each one pondering the events of the last 4 years. Since retiring, Minna had been able to focus on music once again. She was a talented singer, which made it easier for her to be hired as an instructor. She helped with vocal training at the Karlsland Vocal Arts Academy.

After the liberation of Romagna, the 501st went on a huge mission with the aid of another wing, the 502nd. It was around that time that Neuroi were on a noticeable decline, so the world powers quickly took note and didn't waste time. After around four months, Karlsland was finally liberated, much to the joy of Minna, Gertrude, and Erica. After that, the 501st was stationed in Orussia as aid, before being disbanded and re-stationed. A year later, they had all retired. They all stayed in touch, which is why Miyafuji was able to easily contact them.

"Minna! Maj- uh, Mio! Over here!", a voice in front of them called out. Their heads snapped up as they saw Gertrude running towards them.

"Trude? What are you doing here?" Minna asked, as she thought they would all meet at Miyafuji's house.

"We all ended up meeting here, and decided that we'd try and find you guys so that we could all go together," Gertrude quickly explained. She turned, with Minna and Mio following her from behind. Once they caught up to the rest of the 501st, Miyafuji smiled and gestured for them to follow her. Her house was a twenty-minute walk from where they were.

Mio almost started laughing as she watched the 501st with their all familiar antics. Lucchini was backing up Shirley in an argument against Barkhorn, who was accused of being a tight-ass. Erica was laughing at Trude, who had turned into a tomato from her rebuttals, calling Shirley immature. Perrine was talking to Miyafuji and Lynne, discussing fine Gallian cuisine, and Eila was whispering something to Sanya, her hand on her shoulder protectively. Minna was trying calm Trude down, sweat dropping severely. Mio smiled inwardly, happy, watching her comrades be themselves.

* * *

They finally reached Miyafuji's house, a few minutes later than expected. The 501st went in, and greeted Miyafuji's mother and grandmother, who beckoned them to come in. They went inside, past the clinic and to what appeared to be a living room. The house was larger than Mio last remembered, and seemed to have an extension, allowing it to be better separated from the clinic, and allowing more guests to stay.

Suddenly, Mio caught Sayaka, Miyafuji's mother gesturing for her to follow her. Mio silently left the company of the 501st and followed Sayaka into what appeared to be a guest room. She sat on the bed before speaking.

"Yoshika immediately told me what happened, and I'm very sorry," she said. Mio wanted to reply, but Sayaka continued speaking, "Yoshika blames herself for what happened and not being able to heal you." Mio was surprised. Had Miyafuji really felt like that?

"How come? A severed spine isn't something that can be healed," Mio asked.

"That's why she feels so bad, she told me she wished she could, and blamed herself for not being able to protect you," Sayaka explained, with a sad smile. She had tried talking with her daughter, but the younger Miyafuji had insisted on putting the blame on herself.

"Are you serious? I can't have her continue like that, I'll pull her aside and talk to her when I get the oppurtunity," Mio replied. She needed to dispel Miyafuji's beliefs as soon as possible.

"Thank you, Major," Sayaka replied, "And if you ever need anything, come to us."

"Of course. Thank you for your offer, and please, call me Mio," the ex-Major replied.

* * *

Mio wheeled back into the living room, the first thing she noticed was the smell of chicken. Then she realized Miyafuji and Lynne were missing. She assumed they went to the kitchen to prepare lunch. She wheeled over next to the couch, where Minna was sitting. The TV was turned on, and some movie was put on. They all watched it while discussing things. They talked about what they had been doing in more detail, and Mio learned Francesca had been learning to cook proper Romagnian cuisine with her mother. Gertrude also taught self-defence classes, and Perrine had opened up another orphanage and school in Gallia. Suddenly, a question came to Mio's mind.

"How long are you going to be staying here?" Mio asked. There was no way they could stay for long, as they all had important things going on back home.

"We will all be staying for for around five weeks, and we arrived here four days ago," Minna replied. Apparently, those employed such as Minna and Gertrude had some leverage for serving in the war, so it was easy to request a long break.

Suddenly, Mio's watch beeped, informing her it was time to empty her bladder. She excused herself, to go to the bathroom, and took an intermittent catheter out of the bag. Once she was done, the threw it away and washed her hands, before returning to her friends. They sat there for another hour, going from topic to topic, with Barkhorn and Shirley bickering every once in a while. Then Miyafuji came out of the kitchen, wearing a a plain white apron.

"The food is ready guys!" Miyafuji informed them, taking off her apron. They all migrated to the kitchen and took a seat. Mio then spoke up.

"Thank you for preparing the food," Mio said. The rest of the 501st nodded in agreement, and Miyafuji and Lynne blushed.

"It was nothing, and we like cooking together anyways. Now, let's eat!" Miyafuji explained, and they all dug in. The table had an assortment of Fusoan food. There was sushi, natto, lot's of rice, fried fish, chicken, and Lynne had made some baked potatoes and beans along with five large omelettes.

They sat there, eating, and discussing what they should do in the coming weeks to make the best of their stay. Then Miyafuji noticed something peculiar.

"Sakamoto-San, shouldn't you eat more?" Miyafuji asked. There wasn't that much on Mio's plate, but for a good reason.

"The doctors told me to watch how much I eat, and the dietician adjusted my diet to make sure I don't gain too much weight," Mio explained. She did work out, but not as much as when she could walk, so in order to stay within a healthy weight range, she carefully watched what she ate. "Don't worry, I'm going to eat more, just not as much as you remember."

With that, the conversation went back to normal. After an hour and a half, everyone had finished, and cleaned off their plate. They went back to the living room and spent another hour and a half playing there. They had tea and Mio taught Perrine how to play Shogi.

However, soon Mio announced she had to leave. Getting home would take time and she didn't want to be late because she had promised Junko that she would help with dinner (not the actual cooking part, just preparation, as Junko certainly did not have a death wish).

They all hugged her and said goodbye. Minna offered to walk with her, but learned the Wakamoto was going to meet her soon and drive her home.

After Mio left, the remaining 501st members finished up and decided to go for a stroll, thinking of possible activities that their Major could participate in.

* * *

Note: All the technical information is things I learned from the internet or saw in videos, so please forgive me if I portrayed anything or got a few facts wrong. I try to be as accurate as I can, but there might be times where things aren't exactly right.

I hope you've enjoyed reading so far, and thanks for checking out the story.


	6. The Other Perspective

"You know, I never expected to see her here," Shirley spoke up. Things continued as they were after Mio left Miyafuji's house, but they had quieted down in the last few minutes. Shirley voicing her thoughts broke the silence, the rest of the 501st agreed.

"I was so shocked when I saw her, I mean it was literally days ago that we arrived, and then we just happened to see her as well," replied Perrine.

After Miyafuji contacted the 501st, who were scattered across the globe, they agreed to fly over to Karlsland, (except for Sanya) and then they flew over to Moscow where they met Sanya. After that, they flew from Moscow to Omsk, before boarding their final flight to Fuso. They all remembered meeting Yoshika there.

* * *

 _They pushed through the crowd. The 501st finally had all their luggage and were making their way through the airport. After passing through the final bag checks, they walked to the arrivals area. At first, they couldn't spot Miyafuji in the sea of heads, but then Lynne loudly exclaimed._

 _"I see Yoshika-chan!" she nearly screamed. She ran towards her best friend, the 501st following her and watched as the two collided in a happy embrace, listening to the chorus of "Yoshika-chan" and "Lynne-chan."_

 _After their eternal hug, Miyafuji let_ _go to greet her other superiors. Everyone was exhausted, but they all radiated so much happiness that no one would be able to tell._

 _"You guys, I'm so happy you're all here!" Miyafuji exclaimed. All their faces fell ever so slightly at the word "all," as it was very obvious to them that there was one person missing. Miyafuji, not wanting to ruin the mood, quickly steered the subject away._

 _"Let's go now! My mom made lot's of food, there's even_ _octopus!" Miyafuji informed them. Shirley turned a strange shade of green and gagged, while Lucchini cheered. She directed them out of the airport so that she could take them to her home._

* * *

"The octopus was great!" Lucchini cheered, while Shirley tried to keep her lunch down.

"Who knew we'd run into her just a few days later," commented Erica. Ella saw an opportunity for fun, and seized it.

"So Perrine," Eila started. Perrine looked at her suspiciously. Whenever Eila called her she ended up the subject of embarrassment. Her suspicions were proven right. "Have you confessed to the Major yet?"

"What are you— how— how dare you say something like that!" exclaimed Perrine in a rage equivalent to that of a wildfire.

Ella smirked as she was successful in turning Perrine into a very ripe and steaming tomato. It was obvious Perrine had some infatuation with the Major. They sweat dropped at the realization that the only person who didn't know was the Major herself.

Perrine was one of the most severely affected by the Major's injury. Morale had dropped when the superior they all admired returned from battle injured and broken, and Perrine took it very hard. She improved when she confessed some feelings to Lynne, who had promised to keep everything confidential.

Lynne learned that Perrine had also tried reaching the Major before the Neuroi hit, but wasn't fast enough and too far away. Gertrude had stopped Minna from going to the site of the crash, as she would be needed up in the air. Gertrude had also worried about Minna's state if she saw Mio badly injured. It was the same situation with Perrine. Those two, along with Erica and Shirley, destroyed the Neuroi as Eila, Gertrude, and Miyafuji descended to the Major first.

"Did you guys expect to see her so well off?" Eila asked. The last time she saw the major was as she was being airlifted back to the base. She wasn't able to see the major off before being transported to a hospital in Fuso, as in the coming days she was assigned to the night shift with Sanya.

"To be honest, I don't know what I was expecting," said Gertrude. They all started thinking back to the first encounter they had with their ex-Major.

* * *

 _"Yoshika-chan, let's go in there!" Lynne suggested. Miyafuji nodded in affirmation and they ran into the clothing shop, giggling in glee. The members of the 501st were strolling through the town. It had been four days since they had arrived and they all wanted to make the best of their vacation. They had breakfast at a fancy cafe and were now strolling through the streets. Gertrude held Erica back as she tried to buy enough candy to last three lifetimes._

 _After Yoshika and Lynne finished, they continued walking as a cool breeze flowed through the streets. It was sunny, with clouds dotting the sky here and there. They were all in a good mood, and entered a slightly less crowded street._

 _"I'm thirsty," Erica piped out. Gertrude just sighed. She had warned her all the candy would make her crave water._

 _"Me too!" added Lucchini. She had a share of Erica's treasures, and now her mouth felt like the victim of a drought._

 _"Fine, we'll go there," compromised Minna. She pointed to the nearest coffee shop in sight. Miyafuji was leading the group through the streets, and everything was great until she suddenly stopped. Gertrude nearly walked into her, and immediately questioned her._

 _But Miyafuji was speechless. Everyone decided to try and follow her gaze, and they all nearly gasped at the sight they saw. All their eyes locked on a woman in a wheelchair with a black ponytail. Nobody moved for what seemed like eternity,_ _until Miyafuji took a step forward and spoke._

 _"Sakamoto-San?" she asked._

 _Everyone watched as the woman turned her head, and they were met with surprised, grey eyes._

* * *

I think we were more surprised than her, to be honest," Minna chuckled. She nearly burst into tears at the sight of her best friend after four years, and she still had no idea how she held in all her emotions (until she actually hugged Mio).

"But, now that we've reunited, we have to do things that she can do as well," Miyafuji pointed out, "It's not fair for her if we just leave her behind." The 501st nodded in agreement, they couldn't just abandon their friend. She was one of them, and they were family. They stuck together no matter what.

After that, they spent the rest of the time before dinner discussing possible activities they could do with their friend. They all decided that they would meet with Mio in the morning, as a surprise, and consult Junko.

After four years, they were finally together again. They weren't going to waste this.


	7. A Plan

_*Knock*_

 _*Knock knock*_

 _*Knock knock knock*_

Mio forced her eyes open with a low groan. Was she just dreaming the sound? It had stopped, maybe she should go back to sleep.

 _*Knock knock knock*_

No, it was quite real.

"Who is it?" Mio asked, her voice sounded gruff and scratchy, a result of being forced to speak after just waking up. Her eyelids tried desperately to cover her eyes, but her brain forced them open.

"It's me," replied the source of the knocking, and Mio recognized Junko's voice.

"I'll be out soon then," Mio replied. Mio heard Junko's footsteps retreat into the distance, and she started her morning routine. She transferred to the wheelchair, completed the morning's part of the bowel and bladder program, and then left to eat.

Mio's room was downstairs, so that it would be easier for her to go around to get what she needed. She wheeled to the kitchen where the smell of rice, eggs, and natto hit her nose.

Her nose picked up on every scent, and her eyes confirmed she was right. There was a bowl of rice with natto on top, and a boiled egg. She was halfway through her rice and natto when Junko came down. She served herself and bowl of rice with natto and sat next to Mio.

"Sleep well?" she smirked. Since retiring, Mio had tried keeping up her insane schedule of waking up early, but Junko was slowly starting to get her to wake up later. The exhausted look on Mio's face told her that she was in a very deep sleep before she was woken up. Mio sensed Junko teasing her.

"It was wonderful, until I woke up," she replied. Although, Mio didn't really care, so long as she wasn't woken up at like, twelve or something. Junko just laughed.

Suddenly, the doorbell rang, and they both looked up in surprise. Who on earth would be here at 8:30 in the morning? Junko left her food on the table and went to answer the door.

She looked through eyehole, and then quickly opened the door, revealing Minna and Miyafuji. Junko and Mio were more than surprised. Minna was dressed in a black blouse with khakis, and Miyafuji was wearing jeans and a loose shirt that revealed part of her shoulders. Junko motioned for them to come in, and they took a seat on the couches. Mio abandoned her food out of curiosity. It was pretty early and unexpected, so what did they want to talk about?

"What are you guys doing here? It's so early, shouldn't you be sleeping in?" She asked them. Minna smiled back and replied.

"We wanted to talk to you about something," answered Minna. She saw Mio's curiosity peak at this, and she decided to continue. "Mio, can you swim?"

"Eh? Oh, well, in rehab they taught me how to tread water, but actually swimming is really hard," answered Mio, confusion evident in her voice. Miyafuji decided to dispel her confusion.

"We want you to come to the beach with us," Miyafuji explained, "Now that we are all together, we want to make the most of it, and we want you to have fun as well."

"Miyafuji, I appreciate it, but really, you're better off without me," Mio replied, "It's going to be difficult for you guys to find things to do with me, because there's only so much I can do, you'd have more fun if—"

"Mio, no, stop," Minna cut her off, "we are a family, you are one of us. We aren't leaving you behind just because you're in a wheelchair. Trust me, we'll find things to do."

Minna's tone told Mio that she wasn't going to back down, and Miyafuji looked just as determined. They really wanted to do everything with her. For once, the ex-Major backed down and decided to go along with them.

"All right, I'll go," Mio complied. She saw her comrades faces light up at her agreement. Suddenly, a beeping watch alerted Mio that it was time to take her medication. She excused herself as she wheeled over to a bag on the table and pulled out three orange pill bottles, each with a label.

"Sakamoto-San, what medications do you take?" Miyafuji asked. Her inner-doctor was curious to see what her superior was prescribed.

"Nardil and Prozac for my depression, and I take Baclofen for my muscle spasms," Mio answered.

"Muscle spasms?" Minna asked. Miyafuji, being a doctor, explained to her former commander.

"Because of her injury, she has spasms, which is when the muscle stiffens up or suddenly starts shaking. People take medication, Baclofen, to stop the spasms," Miyafuji explained. After clearing that up, and after Mio had taken her medication, they went back to discussing details.

"So, when will the trip be?" Mio asked.

"After tomorrow, we'll get there at around 9:00 or 10:00 and spend the day there," Minna replied. Suddenly, Junko piped in.

"You should borrow our van, it will be easier to transport Mio because it's made for people in wheelchairs," she said, "Half of the 501st can come in it, and the rest will go in another car."

"Sounds like a plan," Mio added.

After finalizing details, Minna and Miyafuji left to deliver the news to the rest of the 501st. Mio couldn't help but smile at their stubbornness.

* * *

Note: I probably should have said this before, but I don't own strike witches or the characters.

Also, I will take suggestions if anyone has any.


	8. Decisions and Travelling

"You have your medication?" Junko asked.

"Yes, I packed it in the bag a few minutes ago," replied Mio. Sensing Junko about to question her further, she informed her of what she wanted to know. "I packed an extra pair of clothes, I have my phone, my wallet, and a jacket."

Junko closed her mouth, but smiled at realizing how well Mio knew her.

"Alright then, let's get you in the van."

* * *

Mio wheeled herself out of the house, and went to the black van parked out in front of their home. Junko slid open the sliding door, and pulled out a ramp, connecting the vehicle to the ground. Mio wheeled herself into the van. On the inside, it was very different compared to a usual van. The front passenger seat was removed, allowing Mio to wheel herself there. Around the now modified passenger's area, were different straps and locks for her wheelchair. Under her wheelchair was a bracket, which she aligned to the locking mechanism to keep the chair in place. Junko also had other straps installed to tie the wheelchair and secure it for added safety. Mio also had a modified seatbelt, which included a waist belt and a separate shoulder strap. Once Junko was satisfied with all the traps, she walked out, pushed the ramp back in, closed the door, and went to the drivers seat. As Junko was putting her seatbelt on, Mio spoke.

"Are you sure you don't want to come with us? I don't think Minna would mind an extra friend," she said.

"I told you before, it's your first time properly going out with them, and your reunion two days ago doesn't count," Junko replied, "besides, I already talked with Tetsu, she's going to pick me up after I drop you off."

"Alright, although I don't see why you'd want to spend part of your day working on papers," Mio countered. Junko had paperwork for the dojo to help fill out, and so she had to finish some of it by tomorrow.

Junko snickered at Mio's dislike of paperwork. "I can't just dump some of it on my superiors," she replied back. She smirked at Mio's reaction.

"Hey! I didn't leave all of it for her," she tried defending herself. Junko laughed as she started the van, and soon they were off.

* * *

"Where are they?" Lucchini whined. Barkhorn rubbed her forehead. It was the seventh time Lucchini asked that in fifteen minutes. However, before she could try and lecture her on patience, Minna spoke up (as she sensed Barkhorn's obvious agitation).

"I received a message from Junko saying they'd be here soon, just wait a bit longer," she said.

With that, everything became silent.

Except for Shirley and Barkhorn's bickering that erupted thirty seconds later, and Eila teasing Perrine.

It would have gone on for longer, had the sound of an approaching vehicle not gotten their attention. They all turned their heads to follow the black van, and watched as it stopped a few feet from them. Suddenly, the driver's door opened, and Junko hopped out. Minna walked over to greet Junko.

"Good morning, and thank you for letting us borrow the van," she said.

"It's nothing, really. Now have fun at the beach," she smiled, "Mio's in the van, and the wheelchair will need to be unsecured once you get there, so let me show you how to do everything." She turned and Minna followed her, but not before instructing the rest of the 501st to decide on which vehicle the would be going in.

In order to get to the meeting area, half of the 501st had come in a taxi (Eila, Sanya, Shirley, and Lucchini had cramped into the backseat, while Barkhorn was lucky enough to get the front passenger's seat.) The rest went in a car borrowed from the Miyafuji family. Minna knew that Mio and Junko's van, could fit 6 more people other than Mio, as there were two extra back seats, so at this point she knew the 501st just had to divide themselves between the two vehicles.

Minna followed Junko and she opened the door and took a step in. Immediately, she saw Mio and smiled. Mio smiled back and they greeted each other.

"Good morning Mio."

"Good morning Minna," she replied, "I'm assuming you're here to learn how all these straps work." She motioned her hand to point to the securing system. Minna nodded back. She then looked at Junko, signaling she was ready. Junko nodded and spoke.

"Alright, let's get started."

* * *

In a few minutes, Minna was informed on how to work the securing system. She climbed out of the van, and Junko showed her how to pull out and push the ramp back in. Once all the handling was done, Minna walked over to her former subordinates. Barkhorn saw her and immediately informed her of their decision.

"No one can agree on what van to go in," she said calmly. Minna sighed and sweat dropped just a little. People would have expected them to be more mature, bit alas, some things just aren't the case. Time to take matters into her own hands.

"Miyafuji, Erica, Lynne, Perrine, and Lucchini with me. The rest of you, go in the other car." she ordered. She saw Gertrude open her mouth to protest, but she immediately clarified. "Shirley knows how to drive and you need to be there to supervise."

Trude, not being one to talk back to orders in the first place, turned to enter the car. Minna continued with her instructions.

"Miyafuji, since you know the way, you will drive. Shirley, you will follow, and please, no reckless driving."

With the instructions complete, the rest of the squadron complied and went to complete their roles.

She made sure to see that Barkhorn's group had followed her orders before entering the black van. Once in, she closed the sliding door. Mio seemed to have just finished greeting the others who had entered the vehicle. Once she saw Minna, she smiled, with Minna returning the gesture.

"Does everyone have their seatbelts on?" Miyafuji asked. Once she saw that everybody nodded, she started the engine, and off they went.

* * *

Note: Just a small transition chapter. Chapter 9 will be them arriving an their stay at the beach.

Thanks for reading and I aprecciate any feedback.


	9. A Trip to The Beach

They arrived at the beach at around 9:30 AM. It was a beautiful sunny day, with just a few white clouds decorating the sky here and there. They parked in the designated parking, and immediately set out to unload their things from the car and van, while Minna unsecured Mio so that she could get out of the vehicle. Once that done, she pulled out the ramp, allowing Mio to leave the van. By then, the rest of the 501st had managed to get all their things ready, she took a good look around, but her eyes seemed to land on Mio, as she noticed something peculiar. Mio wasn't wearing her usual bathing suit. She was dressed in black swimming shorts that reached her knees (they were also slightly big for her legs, but that was just due to the muscle atrophy) and a sleeveless black and white hoodie. Mio noticed Minna's gaze on her and decided to answer her question.

"It was easier to come in shorts," she said, startling Minna in the process. Now, Mio was by no means lazy. She put a lot of effort into keeping fit and healthy, but she had learned that fighting for everything to return to normal wasted more time and effort, especially in something as trivial as a swimsuit. She didn't need every aspect of her life to be as it was once before, so she decided that she would just make some things easier for herself. It was also a wiser decision when keeping in mind that, had she worn her old one piece swimsuit, she would have to remove it completely if she wanted to go to the bathroom.

Minna accepted the answer, and with that, the rest of the 501st went to go to the beach. The beach they had chosen was probably the best suited for Mio. It had nearby bathrooms, and they could borrow a wheelchair with much wider tires so that she wouldn't get stuck in the sand. Once that exchange was done, they entered the beach and started hunting for a good area to claim. It wasn't crowded, thankfully for them, and within minutes they found a nice spot that wasn't that far away from bathrooms and still near the water.

Perrine and Minna set up the large blankets, and Miyafuji and Shirley set up some chairs. After that, the 501st had changed into their swimsuits. They were all wearing their swimsuits under their clothes, so it was as simple as stripping. Mio removed her hoodie, revealing a swimsuit top, and very well toned upper body muscles (which didn't go unnoticed by Minna and Perrine). Once that was done, most of the 501st went and jumped into the ocean for a swim, while Minna, Mio, Eila, and Sanya stayed behind on the blankets. The beach wheelchair they borrowed was longer from front to back, with a large third wheel in front of the footrest. Mio was still able to wheel herself, and they learned it could even be taken into the water. However, transferring from it to the floor was more difficult, so Minna helped her by supporting her weight. Once on the floor, they watched their former subordinates and their antics. Trude was pushed into the water by Erica, and Francesca had gotten her hands on water guns and was now wreaking havoc on her comrades.

Ella and Sanya were whispering something between themselves, which gave Minna and Mio an opportunity to speak with each other. They spoke about the accident and Mio's recovery, and she learned more about the difficulties, as well as what Minna had been doing since retiring. Other than her job at the academy, she had picked up a hobby of sewing and embroidery.

After an hour, the girls came back to the blankets soaking wet, but with huge smiles on their faces. Miyafuji handed out sandwiches and juice from the cooler and they all hung out, happily chatting away. Suddenly, a thought came to her mind.

"Mio, how should we get you to the water?" she asked. Mio seemed to ponder this.

"Well, the man at the stall said that we could take the wheelchair into the water, so I could do that and then have someone pull me out of the wheelchair so that they can pull it back to the sand," Mio suggested. Minna thought that was the best solution, so they decided to go with that.

"How long can you stay in the water?" Minna inquired. Mio would be treading water with just her hands, so she would probably become exhausted quickly from keeping her whole body afloat with two limbs instead for four. However, Mio caught the meaning behind Minna's question and smiled.

"Don't worry about that. I've practiced treading water over long periods of time for endurance, so I'll be fine," She answered.

* * *

After sitting for half an hour, the 501st decided to head back into the water. Minna helped Mio transfer back into the wheelchair, and the latter wheeled herself into the water. Once the wheelchair was nearly submerged, with only Mio's chest and above sticking out of the water, Gertrude and Shirley helped pull her into the water and away from the shore so that her feet wouldn't drag across the floor. The let her go, although ready to hold her in case she started sinking. They were surprised by how well she stayed above the water considering she couldn't use her legs. Their surprise didn't go unnoticed by the ex-Major.

"Do you think I'd be stupid enough to go into the water with no way of keeping myself from sinking?" She asked. They tried sputtering a few excuses before retreating. Mio smiled.

The water was a comfortable temperature, and it was a nice change. It felt like she hadn't been to the beach in forever, and watching her comrades brought a rush of nostalgia.

Until she was sprayed in the face. She sputtered and look around for the perpetrator, and her eyes landed on Minna, who was flaunting a bright yellow water gun. The redhead was laughing, with the other members staring at her in shock. Mio decided to have some fun. She grabbed one of the two water guns in Francesca's hands (she had gone back and gotten more for the other members). Mio took a quick aim and fired, squirting water into her former commader's face.

This started a huge water fight between the members of the 501st. Gertrude joined after being squirted in the face by Shirley and Erica, and Eila was on a rampage after someone had hit Sanya. Minna and Mio became archenemies for the moment, trying to shoot each other repeatedly. However, Minna ran out of water first, and was desperately trying to refill while Mio took the chance to squirt her more.

By the time they decided to stop, they were all laughing.

Needless to say, they had a great time.

* * *

Soon it was evening and the sun was setting. After the water fight, Mio had been taken back to land, although she returned to the water two more times. Now the 501st were sitting and enjoying ice-cream, watching the view. Everyone had changed into new clothes, as they knew they would be leaving soon. Mio put in a jacket and some sweatpants.

Once they had finished, Francesca, Erica, and Shirley went to return the water guns they rented from the store, and Minna went with Mio to retrieve her proper wheelchair and return the beach one. They all returned to the car and the van, and set off. They dropped Mio at her house. Mio was unsecured from the strappings and went down the ramp, wheeling herself to the door and unlocking it. Once she was in, she spotted Junko on the couch.

"Mio! How was your day?" She asked. She was dressed, as she had promised to drive the rest of the 501st home in their van so that no one would be forced to use a taxi.

"It was great, I'm really glad I got to go to the beach after such a long time," she said. Junko smiled. Mio needed change, and she was grateful that she finally got to do something so different. She was going to thank Minna for this when she got the chance.

"I'm going to drop them off now, don't do anything stupid," she said, with a teasing voice. Mio laughed, knowing that Junko was talking about her recklessness.

"I won't," she said.

* * *

When Junko came back, the house was quiet, and she couldn't find Mio. Only slightly worried, she checked Mio's room. She spotted Mio on her bed, fast asleep. Junko smiled, happy for her friend.

"Goodnight Mio."


	10. A Good Talk

Mio was at the grocery shop when she ran into Miyafuji.

After Junko realized they needed rice, milk, and eggs, Mio volunteered to go. Usually, Junko did, it but Mio wanted to help out, especially since she hated feeling like a burden. She knew Junko didn't think that at all, but either way, Mio tried to help out as much as she could. Thus, she had gone to the nearest grocery shop to get the goods, when she noticed Miyafuji a few feet away. However, the younger Fusoan didn't notice Mio. Mio realized she could use this opportunity to speak with Miyafuji, so she wheeled up to her and tapped her shoulder. Miyafuji, caught completely off guard, yelped and jumped into the air. She proceeded to fall flat on her butt before whipping her head around to finally see Mio. Relief flooded her face when she realized it was just her former superior. The young doctor was so engrossed in her task that she was severely startled when a finger touched her.

To say that Mio didn't feel a twinge of guilt from scaring her former subordinate was not a lie, but the spectacle was so amusing she had to hold back her laughter as she helped Miyafuji up. A smile was still tugging at her lips as she apologized.

"Sorry Miyafuji, I didn't mean to scare you."

"It's alright Sakamoto-San," Miyafuji replied, her now calm face decorated with a smile, "what brings you here?"

"I could ask you the same thing," the ex-Major chuckled, "Junko needed a few items from the grocery shop so I volunteered to get them."

"I'm getting some spices for a new dish I want to try out," said Miyafuji. The samurai didn't forget her original goal, and didn't waste time in making sure she could get Miyafuji alone.

"After we finish up with our things, would you like to go for some tea?" she asked. She could tell that Miyafuji was surprised by how much her eyes widened, but nonetheless, she replied.

"Yes, I'd like that."

* * *

They sat down and ordered the tea, making small talk. Mio waited for the tea to come before speaking, as she didn't want to be interrupted. However, once the waiter brought their drinks, she got straight to business.

"Miyafuji," she watched as the younger girl's head turned, "your mother told me that you blamed yourself for what happened to me."

Miyafuji bit her lip and turned her gaze away from Mio, trying to avoid eye contact.

"Miyafuji, is that true?" Mio asked. She already knew the answer, but she wanted to hear it from the young healer.

"Yes," she said. Honestly, it was an almost inaudible whisper, but Mio caught it.

"Miyafuji, you are a doctor. You should know there was nothing you could do," she tried reasoning, "there's no reason for you to blame yourself."

"I know, but, maybe if I was faster and stronger I could have done something," Mio tried cutting her off to rebuttal, but Miyafuji stopped her, "I saw that you were in a bad position, I saw how the Neuroi was about to hit you, but I wasn't fast enough to protect you. I even knew your magic was weak, but I did nothing to prevent you from going up. Everything feels like my fault." Miyafuji had tears forming in her eyes.

"Miyafuji, it was my fault I ended up hurt," Mio said. Miyafuji looked up in confusion. "Minna had approached me before the accident, telling me to not go up. I insisted I was fine, because I was too stubborn for my own good. I knew I had very little magic, and yet I still went up."

"She tried talking with you?" Miyafuji asked. She knew the ex-Major could be reckless, but she never expected this.

"Yes, but like I mentioned, I refused. Ever since I was young, I had vowed to protect people. I grew to love fighting, and as I started losing my magic, I did reckless things to try and stay on the front lines. I was just too stubborn. That's why I don't want you to blame yourself, because in the end, it was my decision."

Miyafuji still looked unconvinced. Mio had one more thing to say.

"Miyafuji," the medic looked up, "I accepted what happened to me. There is no one on this planet that will ever be able to heal injuries like mine. That is how the human body works. I am glad I got to fight alongside you and the rest of the 501st, and I'm proud that I fought to the very end. My injuries could have been much worse. So don't feel bad. We both did the best we could."

Miyafuji finally seemed to accept the answer, but she still wanted to clear up something. "So you don't blame me?"

The retired warrior sighed, but she answered with a smile.

"Miyafuji, I don't blame you, and I don't want you to blame yourself either. In the end, it was my hasty and reckless decisions that lead to this, so don't feel bad, okay?" Mio didn't go into detail about those decisions yet. She was pretty sure Minna figured out that Reppumaru had been sucking her magic dry, but those were details for another day.

Miyafuji let a smile come to her face.

"Okay."

* * *

Miyafuji walked into her home. The 501st were out exploring the small town as Miyafuji needed to get the errands for the meals. Lynne had offered to stay, but as her best friend was only staying a short while in her country, the young Fusoan insisted she go out with the rest. She gave them a map and her number so that they could call her if needed.

Sayaka immediately noticed her daughter enter the household, and greeted her. However, she noticed something different about her daughter. She seemed more….relaxed? Since the Major's accident, Sayaka had noticed her daughter had become just slightly closed off (although she later learned it was from the guilt) and after meeting the now ex-Major four years later, she had noticed her daughter had become more tense and stiff. She was curious about the change, so she decided to ask.

"Yoshika, did something happen today? You seem to be more at ease than before," she said. She waited for her daughter's reply.

"I spoke with Sakamoto-san today," the young Miyafuji explained, "It was a good talk, and I guess I needed to hear some stuff from her."

Sayaka smiled. She wondered how she would thank the veteran for this.

* * *

Mio sat on the couch, her wheelchair within reach in case she needed to transfer. For now, she wanted a more comfortable seat and the couch fulfilled that position for her. She was watching a kendo tournament on TV when suddenly, she felt her phone vibrate. Junko, who was seated next to her watched her best friend open her phone, read the message, and then raise her eyebrows in surprise.

"Mio, what is it?" she asked, very curious. What had surprised Mio so much?

"I've….been invited by the 501st to go with them to a hotel."


	11. Arrangements

"I'm not going."

"What? Why?!"

"Junko, you of all people know it's a very big hassle to get me from place to place. It would be better for them if I wasn't there."

So that's what this was about. Mio had always had a certain confidence to her. She prided herself on being able to help others as well as her self-reliance. The accident, however, changed her. She was still Mio, but being the one who needed to be helped caused her to lose a lot of the confidence she once had. Junko was still trying to get her to understand that there was nothing to be ashamed of from needing help.

"Mio, we talked about this already. Not only are they willing to help, they want you there. I think they would be horribly shallow people if there thought of you any less just because you're in a wheelchair, and you shouldn't be so self-conscious about it, got it? Now, you are going to reply to them, and tell them you would be happy to join them, and you will ask for more details about the trip."

Mio looked at her best friend with wide eyes, then started laughing. Junko was a year younger than Mio, but she could be just as stubborn.

"Alright."

* * *

Minna awaited her best friend's reply nervously. She was ready to march over there and make her go in case Mio said no, but until anything happened she had to wait.

It was Shirley who suggested doing something outside of the town, and from there Miyafuji suggested they go to another city for a few days, and after looking at the best possible places, they chose Fukuoka. It had parks, a beach, and some interesting museums that would be fun. Plus, the food interested Francesca enough, so that was a good sign.

When her phone buzzed, she nearly dropped it from shock, but managed to hold it before checking the reply. She breathed a deep sigh of relief when Mio replied to her message with acceptance instead of decline. She informed the rest of the 501st, who were delighted that they would yet again spend time with their former battle commander. One thing Minna neglected to tell them was that she had a feeling that Junko had convinced Mio to go.

Minna's phone buzzed again. She read the message, which turned out to be from Mio again.

 _When will we go, for how long, and where?_

The two former questions had yet to be discussed, although Minna suspected it wouldn't be for more than a week. However, she quickly informed her former subordinates of Mio's questions.

"We can be ready in three days, in case anyone needs to buy anything," Miyafuji answered. Three days would give the girls time to go shopping and get their things together, and it would help Mio sort out anything she needed due to her paralysis.

"And I think spending four days there sounds like enough, although five still sounds good," Trude said. Three days wouldn't give them enough time to actually go around Fukuoka, unless they rushed it; but that wouldn't be enjoyable. Four or five days would allow them to take their time and enjoy the place.

Minna nodded, and texted the details to Mio, and waited for less than fifteen seconds before Mio's reply.

 _Hotel arrangements?_

 _'We're still discussing that'_ was the reply Minna sent.

In truth, Mio's message reminded Minna she had to deal with that. She remembered how hard it was for them to choose vehicles (like really, were they children?) and decided to settle it at once. She posed the question to the 501st.

"Well," Miyafuji began, "I would like to room with Perrine and Lynne."

"I'm with Sanya!" Eila replied quickly, as if claiming Sanya her own.

"I wanna be with Shirley," squealed Lucchini.

"Great, I'll be with Trude then!" Erica said, grinning. A look of utter horror found itself on Trude's suddenly bleached face. She started sputtering protests, as Erica was messy and loud and although Barkhorn highly valued their friendship, she valued sleep as well. Trude was annoyed how Erica valued sleep at the wrong times. If she wanted fifty more minutes, she could have slept earlier. Minna interrupted her rant.

"Trude, I think it would be better if you roomed with Erica," Minna held up her hand to keep Gertrude from protesting, "You can make sure she's on time and doesn't stall us."

Trude sighed in defeat and accepted her fate, and Erica continued grinning happily. That was also due to the fact that she had noticed something.

"So…" she said, getting everyone's attention, "does this mean you will be rooming with Mio?"

Somehow, Minna fought back the blush that was fighting its way to her face with a cannon; and feigning innocence, (the winner of this year's Oscar for best actress goes to….) replied simply with:

"Well, after all this we're the only two left, aren't we?"

Erica, not getting reaction she wanted, backed off, and Minna sighed inwardly. She knew what Erica implied, and she was going to get back at her for that. Minna texted the rooming arrangements, and asked Mio how she felt. Mio agreed to them, which made Minna happy.

It looked like it was going to be an interesting trip.

* * *

Miyafuji and Mio ran into each other at the mall while looking for things they needed. Mio needed to refill her medication and get some intermittent catheters, and Junko had also convinced her to get some new clothes. However, as Junko was looking around, she noticed a certain brown haired doctor in the store as well. She quietly left Mio's side and walked up to confirm her suspicions, and they greeted each other before the older woman directed Miyafuji to where the ex-Major was in the store. They agreed to have lunch together and met up half-an-hour later at a well-known sushi restaurant.

"Sakamoto-san!" Miyfauji greeted. She had a grin plastered on her face, which reminded the veteran of old times when her student would always get excited over cooking or thinking about medicine. Miyafuji was one of the sweetest and most caring people that the ex-Major had ever met.

"Miyafuji! Shall we go in?"

They went inside, with Junko following suite and they sat down at a table near the door. A chair was removed so Mio's wheelchair could have space, meaning she wouldn't have to transfer. There were times she was forced to before because the table was too low or something of that sort. After ordering their food, they discussed what they would be doing in Fukuoka, and Mio had gotten more excited about the trip since the invitation.

The topic switched to Miyafuji's work at the clinic and Mio learned that her mother and grandmother would be stepping in more while she was gone, as they had when Miyafuji's magic was harder to control or when she was away fighting Neuroi. It was then that Miyafuji asked a question which she regretted instantly.

"What do you want to do for work?" she asked. Miyafuji mentally slapped herself. She knew her former superior hadn't been able to find anything she could do, wouldn't asking make it worse?

However, Mio was unfazed by the question and answered normally.

"Honestly, I haven't found much I could do. I never finished school since I left to fight in the war, and the accident just limited whatever scarce options I had anyway." Miyafuji thought about this, but something was bugging her.

"Can't you teach Kendo?" she inquired. Mio was well-known as one of the best in sword fighting, so why was she not doing anything with her skills?

"I would, if people would listen," she answered. However, Miyafuji looked confused so she decided to explain further, saying, "Miyafuji, no one is going to listen to someone in a wheelchair. Especially in Kendo. The sport is all about movement, and I'm in a wheelchair. Those two things don't mix."

"I don't think that's true," said Miyafuji, "Kendo is also about technique, form, timing, and thinking. You can't win in Kendo just because you're the strongest, you need to be smart as well, and I think you could help a lot of people with that. It also helps that everyone knows you're great at Kendo as well."

Mio looked at Miyafuji, wide-eyed. Junko snickered and said, "I told you Mio." Mio just sighed. Junko had been trying to convince Mio to try and teach at the dojo, but she just wouldn't fold. Hearing someone else say what she believed made her feel happy. Mio just sighed, but it was obvious she was still thinking about Miyafuji's words. Mio did help out at the dojo, but it was mostly paperwork stuff (bleh) and she would rather do something else. However, she couldn't find anything considering her circumstances.

Miyafuji suddenly thought of something, "Sakamoto-san, if you didn't have a job, how did you pay for all the treatment. I know you have savings but even then you must be a little concerned." Mio smiled at her former subordinates keen eye.

"Actually, I didn't pay for anything," she answered, and once again confusion was evident on Miyafuji's face, "my Sensei back from the Fuso Sea Incident had been helping me out a lot, and she convinced the government to pay for it. Apparently, she pulled some strings and talked about how they'd look bad if they didn't help support their soldier who had been injured for the sake of the country and the world."

Suddenly, Mio's watch beeped signifying that she needed to go to the bathroom. She excused herself and left to find one nearby. Once Mio was out of sight, Junko spoke up.

"Miyafuji," she said, getting the younger girl's attention, "take care of Mio during the trip, okay? If any accidents happen or something she'll feel bad, and she is also very reluctant to ask for help, so just be there for her."

Miyafuji understood.

"Of course."


	12. Roadtrip and Dinner

It was 6:00 AM.

The 501st waited outside Mio and Junko's house, as they had just arrived and were waiting for the former so that they could head off. They were going to borrow their van again, so instead of Junko driving it to them, they agreed they would meet at their house and take it directly from her.

They all turned their heads when a door opened and Mio wheeled out of the house. Minna walked over and hugged her raven-haired friend. Then she stood up and addressed the 501st.

"Is everyone ready?"

She watched for the nods, and once it appeared everyone was ready, she smiled. It was good that they were going on a trip together. It reminded her of how years ago they had been together, united. The memories brought a wave of nostalgia. Sure, they weren't wearing strikers or going on missions, but they were still together.

Those thoughts were interrupted by bickering from Shirley and Trude. She saw the rest of the 501st sweat drop at the scene in front of them.

Some things never change.

* * *

The trip to Fukuoka would over 12 hours by car, so they decided to take shifts driving. Shirley and Miyafuji would be driving first. Then it would be Minna and Eila, and then it would by Shirley and Miyafuji back behind the wheels. They'd planned to stop every 3 or 4 hours giving Mio time to empty her bladder and the others could get snacks and stretch. They'd be at the hotel by night time, and they would be able to start doing all the activities they wanted the next day.

Once they strapped Mio in, they took off. Mio, Minna, Miyafuji, Lynne, Erica, Perrine, and Lucchini were in the van, while Eila, Sanya, Barkhorn, and Shirley were in the car. It was the same set-up they used when going to the beach, and they decided it would be more convenient to do that than argue over a new arrangement.

They had brought some snacks along, so Erica was happily munching away and talking with Lucchini about sweets and food. Lynne and Perrine were discussing the orphanage and how the kids were doing (they were doing pretty well and were in a much better state than before). Mio, Minna, and Miyafuji ended up talking about food recipes (well, Mio just listened. Everyone knew she couldn't cook to save her life).

"I was very surprised by how much you liked natto, since it is kind of an acquired taste," Miyafuji commented about Minna. Minna had always loved strange foods, she enjoyed anything and everything exotic.

"I usually like exotic foods, and even things that taste strange to others. Remember when Mio had brought fish oil? Erica was horrified when I asked for seconds," Minna smiled at the memory.

"That's because it's gross!" Erica yelled. She had been appalled at the taste and decided she would stick to her sweets.

"I didn't mind, if something is healthy and edible, I'll eat it," Mio said, to no one's surprise. She had no likes or dislikes towards food. The others presumed her horrid cooking had destroyed her tastebuds.

"Fukuoka has some interesting foods that I think you'll like," Miyafuji added, "there's something called mentaiko, which I guess could be compared to caviar. There's also ramen, and mutsunabe which I think you'll like."

"I want foooooooooooooood," Lucchini whined, "all that talking made me hungryyyyyyyyyy."

"We'll have a stop in three more hours, so just be patient," Minna said. It was going to take a while.

* * *

Three hours did not go by quickly. They somehow ran out of snacks (it was obvious who the culprits were) and they had to deal with Erica whining about being bored.

Lynne had fallen asleep and only woke up once they arrived at a gas station. It had a convenience store next to it, which allowed them to buy more snacks. Minna unsecured Mio so she could go to the restroom, and the car driven by Shirley stopped next to them. The rest of the 501st climbed out to stretch their muscles.

"So now it will be Eila and I driving," Minna said, and Eila nodded. Miyafuji was glad for a break, as it was kind of exhausting to drive for 4 hours straight. Shirley didn't mind since she loved driving.

Mio returned a few minutes later. Once it seemed that everyone was ready, Minna pulled out the ramp and allowed Mio to get into the van first. She then followed her inside so that she could secure Mio properly, and then went back out so that she could get into the driver's seat. She buckled the seatbelt and made sure everyone was ready before heading off.

* * *

Since it seemed the others in the back were getting restless, Mio decided to do something to entertain them.

"Do any of you know how to play Gomoku?" she asked. She knew the answer since the only other Fusoan person was Miyafuji, but she decided this way would be better to transition and get their attention.

"What's that?" Lynne asked.

"It's a game where you have to get five in a row on a board. Depending on the variation, you can play on a 19x19 board or 15x15." Miyafuji explained.

"However, because the tiles pieces don't move, you can also play on paper," Mio added.

"I have a notebook we could use," Perrine said. Usually, she used the notebook for notes on things for the orphanage or charity, or anything she needed to think about. She didn't mind it being used for games, because frankly, she was started to get a little bored.

"Alright, that should work!" Miyafuji said.

They ended up playing five different games. First Mio and Miyafuji went so that they could explain the rules (Mio won). After that, Miyafuji and Perrine went, with Miyafuji emerging victorious. However, everyone was slightly surprised at how well Perrine did for her first time. Lynne and Perrine played next, with Perrine winning. Then Erica and Lucchini played next. Their game took longer because they kept on forgetting certain rules (although in the end, Erica won). The last game was between Perrine and Mio, where Mio ended up winning.

"That was so complicated," Erica said.

"That's simply because you didn't pay attention," Perrine retorted, which was true. Erica nearly fell asleep while Mio and Miyafuji explained the rules. Lucchini actually did fall asleep.

"Yeah whatever, I want food," Erica said. She looked into the bag and took out a packet of sweets.

"Erica, if you finish them like you did the first time, I won't let you get more on the next stop," Minna chastised.

"Fiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiine," Erica complied. She only took a small handful and returned the rest into the bag.

It was really like taking care of children, Minna thought.

* * *

Eventually, the second and last stop came. The next time they stopped after this, they would have arrived at the hotel. Minna took the opportunity to go to the bathroom, as did the 501st members who didn't go at the first pitstop. Mio went to the bathroom because she was a different story. The red-haired ex-commander wondered how someone dealt with a dysfunctional bladder. She couldn't even imagine having to manually relieve yourself for fear of a leak.

When she came back from the bathroom, it seemed that Erica had gone to get more snacks (dear Lord, was her stomach a black hole?) and then realized Lucchini had gone with her. She sighed but still had to smile at their antics. Even if they were grown up now, they still found a way to be immature.

Mio came back and once again they went back into their vehicles. Miyafuji and Shirley had driving duty. This would be their longest stretch as they wouldn't be stopping until the hotel. They had been driving for an hour when Miyafuji decided ask something.

"Sakamoto-san, could you check the map for me?" she asked. She was pretty sure she was going in the right direction, but there was nothing wrong with checking.

However, Mio didn't answer. Miyafuji was confused at the silent treatment coming from her former superior, and looked to see what was wrong. However, soon everything was explained.

Mio was asleep. She was leaning her head slightly against the wall of the van, and was breathing softly, her mouth slightly open.

Minna was sitting behind Mio so she couldn't see, what was going on, but she took a guess.

"Is she sleeping?"

"Yes," Miyafuji answered. The whole van seemed to quiet down so not to walk up the ex-Major. Soon, all except Minna and Miyafuji were awake, the former having checked the map for Miyafuji.

Mio had rarely, and by rarely, she meant it had only happened once before, and that was due to overusing her magic during a training session. Minna had found her asleep on the couch and had woken her up so she could get back to her room. Minna had to admit to herself the Mio seemed pretty adorable at the moment, and didn't wake her up this time.

* * *

"Mio, wake up."

Mio parted her eye-lids at the sound of a familiar voice. Was that Minna? She sat and straightened herself, stretching her arms. Where were they? Suddenly, she remembered that they were driving towards Fukuoka and she looked around. Miyafuji was looking at her smiling. They were parked somewhere, presumably next to the hotel, but Mio decided to clarify.

"Are we here?"

"Yes, we just finished parking," a voice came from behind her. So it was Minna who had woken her up. "Let me unsecure you so that you can get out of the van."

Once that was done, all the 501st were outside of the vehicles. They had parked in the hotel parking lot behind the building. They entered and followed a few signs until they were in the lobby, were Minna and Miyafuji decided to check-in.

It took them ten minutes, and then they discovered that the 501st would be separated and staying in two different floors. On the second floor were Eila and Sanya's room, Lucchini and Shirley's room, and Erica and Trude's room. On the fifth floor would be Minna and Mio's room, and Perrine, Lynne, and Miyafuji's room.

They went on separate elevators, those on the second floor in one, and those on the fifth floor in the other. They agreed to meet back at the lobby in an hour for dinner.

* * *

Minna opened the door to their room, and let Mio go in first so that she could hold the door, as it was easier for Minna to pull the suitcases in. Once inside, she looked around the room. It was decently spaced. The had a nice view of the rest of the city and there was one queen-sized bed. There were closets lined up against one of the walls, and one bathroom. Thankfully, it was big enough for Mio to get her wheelchair through.

As Mio was in the bathroom getting her stuff dealt with, Minna opened up her own suitcase and pulled out some clothes she'd change into. There was nothing wrong with what she was wearing but after spending nearly the whole car ride in them, she felt like a change. She pulled out some dark jeans and a red polo shirt, and changed outside the bathroom.

It was near perfect timing as barely a minute after she finished, Mio wheeled out of the bathroom. Her former subordinate took her duffel bag and placed it on the bed. She rummaged in it before finding her sleeveless hoodie and pulling it out. She unbuttoned the navy-blue blouse and took it off before wearing the hoodie she wanted.

"Ready?" Minna asked. Mio smiled.

"Yeah, let's go."

* * *

They found a small restaurant to have dinner at. Most ordered ramen and rice, excluding Lucchini and Minna who ordered squid alongside it (Shirley and Erica gagged at the order), and Mio who went with some sushi and miso soup. The orders came and they sat alongside each other. Shirley and Barkhorn were bickering once again while Miyafuji started discussing more food recipes and comparing it to Britannia and French cuisine. Then Miyafuji brought something up that became a turning point in the conversation.

"There are a lot of Fusoan foods that have sake along side them," Miyafuji said.

"What's sake?" asked Lucchini.

"It's alcohol," Mio explained, "but obviously bringing some would be a terrible idea."

"Why do you say that?" Erica asked. There were a few reasons she could think the ex-Major would have in mind, some more interesting than others. She was definitely curious; but there was no way she could have known about the cave, right?

"Well…." It was obvious she didn't want to continue, "I'm kind of a lightweight when it comes to alcohol,"

Minna was slightly panicking but didn't show it. There was no way she could have known about the cave….unless, no, it couldn't be. After the cave incident, from Lucchini's persistent nagging, Shirley revealed what happened. It spread like a wildfire, and when Minna found out, she held a secret emergency meeting threatening them all that if Mio found out, they would suffer from her wrath. She thought Mio had never found out, but now she was worried.

"How would you know that? You don't drink any, right?" Miyafuji asked. Minna cursed Miyafuji with the power of a thousand storms. God, she was gonna die of a panic attack any second.

"It-it's nothing…" Mio stuttered, turning her head to the side. Mio never stuttered! And…oh crap she was blushing! Oh God, Mio knew. Minna was going to have the heads of all the 501st. She wanted to shrivel up and die.

"Come on, tell us!" Lucchini cheered with a massive grin.

Minna decided Lucchini would die first.

However, her worries were revealed to be, well, just worries. The former battle commander of the 501st sighed, took a deep breath, and spoke.

"I was around 12 when this happened. It was a bit before the Fuso Sea Incident, I was still fighting alongside my Sensei, Kitagou Fumika; and Junko and Wakamoto. We had been fighting for a while, so our Sensei scheduled a small vacation for us. She took us to town and eventually let Junko, Waka, and I explore. As we were walking, this man at a stall offered us a taste of a drink. Waka, being the most daring of the three of us, took a sip first. I followed suite and took a bottle. Against my better judgment, I chugged half the bottle down in one go and Waka freaked out. Everything sort of got hazy after that and all I remember was looking at Waka's face before everything went black."

Mio stopped talking to take a deep breath and looked around. Everyone was staring intently, curious as to what happened.

"Do you know what happened?" Lucchini asked. Mio sighed.

"I woke up on the roof of the dojo. Sensei greeted me first when I got down. Junko was crying because she was worried sick, but Waka was smiling. They took me to the infirmary and told me what happened. Apparently, the first thing I did was…"

Everyone was actually on the edge of their seats.

"I punched Waka in the face, and ran off."

Everyone's eyes bulged out of their faces.

"According to them, I ran off while laughing hysterically. At one point I got on the roof of a building and…."

She didn't want to go on. She saw the 501st trying to hold in their laughter, but she didn't want to spoil their fun, so she finished the story.

"I was screaming about being the best witch in Fuso."

"Wait, you were twelve when this happened?" Erica clarified. She was clutching her stomach and was out of breath, most of the 501st were in a similar state.

"Yes."

The 501st burst out laughing. Lucchini has actually choked on her coke and was trying not to laugh harder. No one had expected Mio, one of the most disciplined witches ever, to have such a story. It was so ironic it made them laugh even more.

Needless to say, they had a good dinner.

* * *

Note: I'm sorry it took a bit longer than usual for an update. I sorta was stuck on what I wanted to write (I guess that's what writer's block feels like) so I made the chapter longer than usual.

Updates will probably take longer now, as my break is over so I'll have much less time. I'm sorry but I promise to try my best.

Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoy.


	13. Night Time

"I still can't believe you did something like that," Minna said, chuckling. They were back at the hotel, and the 501st had all gone to their respective rooms. Mio blushed and looked away.

"To be honest, I can't either," she replied, slightly mumbling.

"It's honestly really cute. I'm just curious, why scream about being "the best witch in Fuso?" Minna asked. It was true, of all things a drunk Mio could have said, it made her want to know why that phrase had been yelled out.

"Well, other than the fact that I was drunk," Mio started, "Waka and I had a rivalry back then. She once even challenged me to a kendo match to see who would be the best witch in Fuso because according to her, there was only room for one."

"That's the most adorable thing I've heard," laughed Minna, "It kind of reminds me of how Shirley and Trude are, or even Erica and Marseille."

"That's actually kind of what it was. We even kept score of who won the kendo matches."

"God, you might have actually been worse," Minna chuckled.

After they finished talking, Mio went to the bathroom to change and finish up the day's bladder program. Minna changed outside. She ended up wearing her light pink pajama set. When Mio wheeled out, she was wearing sweatpants and a navy blue sleeveless training shirt.

Minna packed up her day's clothes in the suitcase, and discreetly watched as Mio transferred from the wheelchair onto the bed.

That they would be sharing.

But obviously, that was just a trivial detail.

Minna nearly opened her mouth when she saw Mio struggling to get onto the bed, as it was higher than the ones back home. She wanted to help, but didn't know if that would frustrate Mio. She kept observing and learned she wouldn't have to intervene once Mio got onto the bed. It was strange watching someone pull their own legs onto a bed, but hey, what can you do if they can't move?

Once Minna had put her used clothes away, she climbed onto the bed. She noticed that Mio was reading a book.

"Mio, I didn't know you liked to read," she said.

"Hm? Oh, well, I started getting into it while doing therapy. The therapist suggested I pick up a hobby other than training, but obviously back then I couldn't think of anything. One day Junko wanted to meet some friend of her's at the library, and I came along because I was still adjusting to my new life. Junko obviously introduced me, but I still didn't know the woman, so I just went and explored the library. I found a book that looked interesting, called "The Shinobi's Life" and checked it out. The reading habit started from there."

Minna couldn't help but sweatdrop. The book Mio had chosen suited her perfectly. Mio set her book down and Minna turned off the lamp lights. She smiled at her comrade.

"Goodnight Mio."

"Goodnight Minna."

* * *

"Come on Francesca, we have to go to bed," Shirley sighed. She knew she sounded like a mother scolding her child, but what could she do with an uncooperative Lucchini?

"But I wanna watch TV!" she exclaimed.

"You can literally do that anywhere, come on!" Shirley tried again. What would make Francesca listen? Suddenly, a thought came to her mind. "Francesca, if you go to bed now, I'll buy you sweets tomorrow.

Shirley was suddenly staring at an empty couch. When she turned to look at the bed, she found Francesca staring at her.

"Come on, let's sleep!" she said.

Shirley couldn't help but laugh. Bribes could be very useful.

"I bet I'll be able to sleep first!" she said, issuing a challenge. Francesca laughed and smiled at Shirley.

"I like it when we're all like this together. After the Major had to leave, everyone was sad all the time," the Romagnian said. Shirley stopped in her tracks.

When Mio had left, Morale dropped like crazy. They were still strong and were able to handle the Neuroi without her, but the mental strain of losing such an important member they all cared about had hurt them. Everyone noticed the empty seat in the dining room, the missing striker in the hanger, the lack of presence when training. Shirley had also matured in that time, even Hartmann. The void in authority meant everyone had to pull together, and that was probably the only reason they didn't fall apart.

"Ya, you're right," Shirley said.

"But you know, I think that it's really funny how the Major was when she was younger," Lucchini said. Shirley nearly started laughing again. That was one story she was never going to forget.

She climbed into bed, and they both said goodnight before starting the sleeping challenge.

It was a tie.

* * *

Trude was going to wake up the whole hotel.

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN TWENTY MINUTES?!" Trude exclaimed. Sure, Hartmann had matured, but that didn't mean a lot.

"I wanna finish the movie," she said simply, and turned her head back to the TV.

Barkhorn sighed with the power of a thousand tornadoes. Why did she agree? Sure, they may have been good friends but they were still polar opposites. Barkhorn had no idea what to do. Erica did most things at her own pace, so she had no idea what to do to make her move. Trude then realized that she could do things at her own pace as well.

She was, after all, known for her strength.

She simply walked over to where Hartmann was sitting, snatched the remote, turned the TV off, and then picked up Erica despite her protests and dumped her on the bed.

"Sleep. Now," she ordered. Hartmann stared at her and then laughed. Trude got onto the bed.

"You know, I bet you yelled louder than the Major in her story." Trude's face turned red.

"Whatever, goodnight."

Erica laughed at her friend.

"Goodnight."

* * *

Eila smiled at the smaller witch lying the bed. She and Sanya were very close, and they were always happy to spend time with each other. It was good that Eila listened to Sanya, because she was the only reason that the former would stop teasing Perrine.

"Eila, come sleep," the night witch said.

"Coming."

Eila climbed onto the bed and pulled up the covers.

"Goodnight."

"Goodnight."

* * *

Since the trio had two beds, they decided to change beds every day. Today, Miyafuji and Lynne were sharing the bigger bed, and Perrine took the smaller one.

"Aren't you excited, Yoshika! Tomorrow, we're going to be going to the park. I can't wait!" Lynne said.

"I'm really excited! This region is well-known for its parks, so I think it's good that we're going to one." Yoshika replied.

"We're going to be getting food from some shops and taking it there, right?" Perrine asked. They weren't at home, so Yoshika nor Lynne could cook, and they would be using other sources for sustenance.

"Yep! They have lots of nice food here as well!" Yoshika answered happily.

They room became quieter after that, and they discussed other plans. Perrine was particularly excited for museums as well. Suddenly, Lynne changed the topic.

"I thought it was really cute when the Major told us about the incident." It was true. I mean, when you learn about your disciplined superior officer getting drunk at the age of twelve and then punching her rival in the face, you can't help but see the cuteness.

"I didn't expect the story to go like that," Miyafuji said, "I thought she'd talk about something she saw or someone spiking her drink."

"It was really amusing, I just never expected something like that," Perrine said. Miyafuji and Lynne sweatdropped. Of course Perrine never would have expected that, she could never imagine the Major doing something so immature and stupid in the first place.

They were suddenly interrupted by a phone call. Miyafuji answered, and then turned around. "Perrine, it's for you."

Perrine was surprised, but walked over nonetheless. She answered the phone but then started speaking in French. The call went on for ten more minutes before Perrine ended it.

"What was that all about?" Miyafuji asked.

"It was one of the workers at the orphanage. They were just giving me updates as we're adding an extension," Perrine saw the faces of her friends and clarified, "Don't worry, everything's fine, they've just told me how far everything's gotten and what needs to be changed and things like that."

Miyafuji and Lynne relaxed. They all lied down in their beds.

"Goodnight."

"Goodnight."

"Goodnight."

* * *

The 501st all slept well that night.

* * *

Note: Another transition chapter. Sorry if Sanya and Eila's bit was too short, but that's sort of how I imagined it would go. Maybe it's because Sanya is quiet?

Anyways, I hope you enjoyed it, next chapter should be their first proper day in Fukuoka.


	14. An Accident and a Park

_Note before starting the chapter:_

 _For those of you who have already read this chapter once, I added a few changes to the ending to make it less rushed. I know I could have written a better quality ending and I hope this fits what you're expecting._

 _Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy._

* * *

"Mio, wake up."

Mio groaned and tried to figure out the source of the noise. She would never admit it, but she wouldn't mind staying in bed for another solid 15 minutes.

"Mio, I don't remember you being this lazy."

Mio opened her eyes and sat up as fast as possible. She would rather be forced to wake up at 1 a.m in the morning then be called lazy (old habits die hard). The ex-Major looked around and finally found the face of the now smirking red-haired ex-commander. Minna then turned and started walking to the other side of the bed.

"I knew that would get you up!" She said. Mio internally groaned at how well her best friend knew her. She looked around for her wheelchair. It was fairly close, so Mio tried reaching for it to pull it over. With her left hand on the edge of the bed supporting her body, she reached out with her right arm for the wheelchair.

However, her left arm lost its grip and slipped off.

Mio nearly fell off the bed, but moved her right hand to try and grab the nightstand. But, in her hurry she accidentally slammed her hard down on an empty glass, breaking it.

"Shit!" she cursed out loud. Why do these things always happen? Could she really not manage something as simple as getting her wheelchair? There were times where she really hated herself and this was one of them.

Suddenly she felt a hand on her shoulder, helping her straighten up. She turned to see Minna, worry plastered all over her face.

"Are you okay, Mio?"

"Ya, I'm fine, sorry about that," she said, smiling sheepishly. She was a bit embarrassed at the clumsy accident that had just taken place, and the fact that Minna had to see it happen. Mio then took notice of how Minna was suddenly looking at her hands. Why was she—oh…

Her right hand was bleeding. It had a shard of glass embedded in the left side of the palm.

"The heck?! I didn't even notice!" she exclaimed. However, now that she had, she could feel the pain radiating in her palm. She winced a little. She realized Minna had left and was rummaging in her bag. Mio raised her eyebrows in surprise when she saw Minna pull out a first-aid kit.

"I'll bandage it up for now, and we can have Miyafuji heal it for you once we're all downstairs." she said, explaining her thoughts.

Mio watched as Minna opened up the first-aid kit and the contents she needed: tweezers, rubbing alcohol, cotton, gauze, and tape. Minna gently took Mio's injured hand and with the tweezers, gently pulled out the glass shard. It was definitely a deep puncture, but at least they had a medic with them, or else they would have had to find a doctor. While it was painful, Mio avoided showing it on her face.

Minna set the tweezers down. Then she took some rubbing alcohol and carefully poured a small amount on the cotton. She wiped the cotton over the injury. It stung, but Mio was good at hiding her pain. After that Minna took the gauze and wrapped Mio's hand, before using the tape to keep it in place.

"I didn't know we had a first-aid kit," Mio said. She was surprised that anyone had thought of it, not that she didn't appreciate it at the moment.

"Miyafuji had suggested we have a few just in case," Minna smiled. Her former subordinate was always concerned with keeping people safe. She had never changed (not that it was a bad thing).

After that Minna got off the bed and brought Mio's wheelchair closer to her. Last night she had pulled it away from the bed, as it made it easier for her to access things in the drawer in the nightstand. She didn't know that it would cause Mio to have an accident like that.

"Hey, Mio, I'm sorry, I had pulled the wheelchair away beca—"

"Minna, you didn't do it on purpose right?" Mio asked, interrupting Minna. The latter nodded in reply, "then it doesn't matter why you moved it. Besides, I should have simply asked you to help in the first place."

Minna was surprised at that response. Mio had always loved her independence. Asking someone for help was not something she did. Seemingly reading Minna's mind, Mio spoke up.

"I don't like needing people's help, and trust me, it bugs me when I do need it, but I guess it's something I can't avoid," she said. She really wished she could go back to before, where she was the one helping people all the time. This was one of the things she struggled to adapt to while in the hospital, but she got better at it as time went on.

Minna watched Mio transfer from the bed to the wheelchair, and get her clothes before going to the bathroom. After all, Mio was more than happy to deal with accidents like these than leaks.

* * *

Barkhorn paced around. She was a bit restless. The whole 501st minus Minna and Mio were down in the lobby. All of them were waiting quietly (or as quietly as possible) when the elevator suddenly opened up with Minna and Mio in it.

Minna walked out with Mio wheeling behind her.

"Sorry we're late," she apologized and smiled. They were 10 minutes late but the 501st were still waiting for them instead of sitting in the cars; she felt the least she could do was show her appreciation, "Thank you for waiting. Now, you can all head to the cars, but I need Miyafuji for just a few minutes."

Miyafuji looked surprised but nodded along with the rest as they complied with their instructions.

Miayfuji walked over to Minna and Mio.

"Is something wrong?" She was even more surprised when Mio raised her arm to show her the injured and now taped hand.

"Looks like you were right, Miyafuji, the first-aid kit did come in handy," Minna said with a small smile, "Mio had a small accident this morning, and we were wondering of you could help."

"Of course," Miyafuji replied with a smile. She could never say no to helping others, no matter what. As Miyafuji started unwrapping Mio's hand, the latter spoke up.

"Sorry to bother you with this Miyafuji," she said. The young doctor smiled warmly.

"Don't apologize, I love helping out whenever I can," she said. Mio looked up, smiling as well.

"Thank you, Miyafuji."

"Anytime."

* * *

It took them 25 minutes to get to park. It was a beautiful day, with only a small amount of white clouds dotting the sky. The weather was perfect. So they decided the perfect thing to do on a perfect day was go to the park; after all, Fukuoka was known for wonderful parks.

They had taken a small cooler with food such as sandwiches (as there were stalls selling food anyways) and drinks; as well as some blankets to put on the ground, and a few chairs. They paid the entrance fee and walked/wheeled across a stone path. There were trees everywhere, along with a few kids areas and sports courts (tennis, basketball) along with a few designated areas for football. It was a park for everyone. Some people were barbecuing, other's were just laying on the grass.

They found a nice spot under a large tree. Lucchini, Shirley, Erica (who didn't want to help set up anything), and Barkhorn (who had to watch Erica) all left to the basketball court, whereas Mio, Eila, Sanya, Minna, Perrine, Miyafuji, and Lynne stayed behind to set up. Well, it was mostly the latter four who helped set up. Mio couldn't help as much for obvious reasons, but after Sanya and Eila played down the blankets, they immediately sat on them. The other four set up the chairs and the portable table. Mio being in a wheelchair helped because they didn't have to carry an extra chair for her. Once everything was set up, Miyafuji pulled out a few soda bottles from the cooler to hand to those sitting, before taking a chair for herself.

They all chatted and watched the missing four on the basketball court. They were interrupted when a certain ginger came up to them.

"You guys," Shirley got their attention, "we want to play a game of basketball, raise your hands if you're interested in playing."

Mio didn't raise her hand because, well, she was in a wheelchair. The rest minus Eila and Sanya raised their hands.

"Shit, we're only seven players."

"How seven?" Minna asked, "Wouldn't it be you, Erica, Lucchini, Trude, Perrine, Lynne, Miyafuji, and I?

"No, Erica got tired and wants to sit out," Shirley pursed her lips. Suddenly, an idea came to her head.

"Mio, why don't you play?" Mio looked at her with disbelief.

"I don't want to be rude, but isn't the answer obvious?"

"I'll have you know that wheelchair basketball is a thing!" Shirley retorted.

"Played by players who don't play normal basketball." Mio fired back. She was at a huge disadvantage when it came to maneuvering and dribbling.

"You'll be fine. You can play shooting guard so that you'll be less likely to face off against anyone, and I have friends who play wheelchair basketball too, so I can explain the rules."

Mio was about to refuse, but Minna spoke up.

"Mio, give it a chance, if it's really unfair, I'll sit out with you so that they have even teams and can continue playing, but at least try."

Mio seemed to give Minna's words a thought.

"Alright."

* * *

They sat on a court, with Trude and Shirley standing in the middle for the tip-off. Erica was going to through the ball and act as a referee (while sitting on the sidelines of course). On Trude's team were Minna, Mio, and Miyafuji. The other team had Shirley, Lucchini, Perrine, and Lynne.

There was a small stall that had jerseys, so Minna's team got white ones, while Shirley's team got blue ones.

Erica tossed the basketball into the air, and both Trude and Shirley leaped up after it. Shirley managed to get a hold of the ball and tossed it to Lucchini, who immediately started dribbling to the opposing.

Until she was stopped by Trude. Trude took the ball and dribbled, driving around Perrine, however, Shirley caught up to her and started guarding her well. Trude tossed the ball to Mio, who nobody noticed was at the three-point line. She aimed and shot the ball. It hit the rim, bounced up a bit, and rolled along the hoop three times before falling in.

Nobody had expected that. They were all amateurs, doing the best they could from what they remembered from TV and Shirley's instructions, and yet the ex-Major shot a three-pointer in the first minute!

"See Mio, you should have given it a chance," said Minna, smirking.

"It was probably just dumb luck," Mio replied.

They continued playing, with Shirley driving passed Trude and scoring, Lucchini stealing the ball from Miyafuji, but being blocked by Trude, who then past to Minna who did a layup (Shirley had shown them the basic moves before starting). It was definitely exciting.

At one point, Perrine was trying to drive past Miyafuji, and after a fake, she got past her; only to have the ball smacked out of her hand by Mio.

It turned out, Mio being under everyone's line of sight was advantageous for her, she could easily sneak up to steal.

She swiftly turned the chair to follow the ball, now in Trude's hand. She wheeled next to Minna as quickly as she could. Her arms were aching (after all, she was moving the whole weight of her body along with the chair with just her arms) but she was happy. She was never interested in basketball, but being with the 501st made it feel like everything was how it was before her injury.

Minna was suddenly blocked by Shirley, and instinctively, she passed to Mio. Mio noticed she was unguarded and suddenly had an idea.

Now, Shirley had told her that in wheelchair basketball, one way to dribble was to have the ball in your lap, and then every two pushes to bounce the ball (the other was continuously going back and forth between pushing and bouncing.) Mio chose the former so that she would have more control of the ball (as the other times she nearly lost the ball) and raced to the hoop. She heard people catching up to her, she threw the ball so that it hit the backboard, and bounced off into the net. She turned her wheelchair to see others shocked faces.

"What?" she said with a smile, "do you think I couldn't do a layup just because I'm in a wheelchair?"

The other's faces turned to grins as well, and they resumed playing happily.

* * *

They played basketball for another two hours, with Minna's team winning the first game, and then losing the second by a small margin. After that, they headed back to the blankets and ate the sandwiches they brought, as well as buying noodles from one of the stands.

They sat and started talking, with Trude and Shirley getting into a debate about strikers (maneuverability vs speed, respectively). It was actually entertaining and no one had expected Shirley to give Barkhorn that hard of a time (although in the end, it seemed that Barkhorn's argument won).

"So, what are we going to do tomorrow?" Miyafuji asked. It was a good question, as they didn't have a set agenda for their stay in Fukuoka.

"Well, there is a nice military museum, we could check it out," Mio suggested. Minna sweatdropped at Mio's suggestion, it fit her perfectly.

"That definitely sounds interesting, and then we can go have lunch at a restaurant later on," Trude added. Lucchini drooled at the thought of octopus.

"Well, I guess it's settled," Minna said with a smile.

* * *

They spent most of the day there, getting lunch from a nearby restaurant and bringing it to the park (Shirley nearly threw up at the amount of octopus Lucchini ate). They also found other activities to do, some played football, and at one point Minna and Shirley played tennis.

It turned out the Minna was skilled in Tennis. While Shirley was fast, she missed the ball quite often. In the end, Minna won all three games they played.

After that, they went to have dinner in the hotel restaurant, before saying goodnights and heading to their rooms. After quick showers, they headed to bed.

That was until Mio remembered something.

"Minna, can you call Miyafuji for me?"

"Is something wrong?" Minna asked, worriedly. There were very few reasons she would think of needing Miyafuji for. Mio caught on to Minna's worry though, and quickly clarified.

"I just need her to check for any pressure sores."

"Pressure sores?" Minna asked, the term foreign to her.

"Since I basically don't move all day and sit in a wheelchair a lot, there are parts that end up with restricted blood flow. That's why you see me sometimes left myself up with my hands, it's to help with circulation." Mio explained, and then blushed a little, "I would ask you, but I don't want to bother you with something like that and since Miyafuji's a doctor..."

She trailed off, which was fine since Minna didn't need any more explanation. Mio was never shy about her body, she loved baths and had no problem taking them with others, that was literally normal in Fuso. However, having someone examine your ass for spots that could potentially fester seemed a bit awkward to her, and she would rather a doctor check than her best friend.

"I'll call Miyafuji so she can look, and then tell me what to look for next time," Minna said. Minna walked out before Mio could protest to the second part of the statement.

She had gotten used to Junko checking for her since they lived in the same house, and she wished others didn't have to do so as well, but oh well, welcome to the life of a paraplegic.

Minna walked in with Miyafuji around a minute later (thank God they were on the same floor). Miyafuji immediately smiled at Mio.

"Alright Sakamoto-san, you've checked your arms, right?" Miyafuji asked, and Mio nodded. Pressure sores could form on the arms, as it is common due to constant leaning on armrests.

"Alright, can you take off shirt so I can see your back?" Miyafuji asked. Mio complied and took off her shirt, bending forward so that Miyafuji could see.

"Minna, do you see that red spot there?" Miyafuji pointed out. Minna nodded.

"Watch that carefully. It should be nothing if Sakamoto-san is careful, but just in case keep an eye out," Miyafuji said. For Mio, that just meant not leaning a lot on the back of the wheelchair for a few days, so that it could clear up.

"Alright, everything seems fine so far. But, can you roll over so I can check everywhere else?" Miyafuji asked. Mio knew what was implied by 'everywhere else'. She rolled over on the bed, and felt Miyafuji pull down her pants and underwear. It was so.

It was so. freaking. awkward. Well, she'd rather deal with this than a festering pressure sore.

"Alright, you're all clear Sakamoto-san," Miyafuji said. Mio rolled over tugged her pants and underwear back up.

"Can I ask, what happens to a pressure sore if left untreated?" Minna asked.

"Really bad stuff. They can cause a variety of infections, some do actually lead to cancer, and gangrene. So people who are at risk for them check regularly to avoid having those things happen."

"Thank you for helping, Miyafuji," Mio said. As Miyafuji was headed to their door, she turned around and smiled.

"No problem."

* * *

After all that, Mio and Minna finally headed to bed.

"It must be stressful, always having to worry about complications and adjustments you have to make," said Minna.

"It isn't so bad when you get used to it. It becomes a part of your routine, like a training session or striker maintenance," said Mio, "It's the worst at the beginning though. It really overwhelms you."

Minna thought Mio had gone to sleep when she was silent for the next few minutes, but heard her say one last thing before she fell asleep herself.

"It becomes easier though, when you have your friends with you."

* * *

Note:

I have two apologies to make. First, I'm sorry for not updating in such a long time. I know I don't have a regular update schedule, but I also don't want to make you wait. Second, Although I updated the story last night, I'm adding a change to the ending to make it less rushed. I wanted to get a chapter up for you as fast as possible, but I also should have made sure it was a well-written chapter.

I don't know when the next chapter is coming, but I hope you won't have to wait as long.

Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoy it.


	15. Update

I don't really know how to start this, but I realised I can't leave people hanging like this, because I hate it myself when that happens. It's been a few months since I've uploaded anything, and in that time, I realised I'm more a reader than a writer. I started writing because I thought it would be fun, and it was. But having to continuously upload along with my already busy schedule was something I couldn't do.

My writing is nothing special, and at times it can be overdone and cringe-worthy, but I want to at least put out the best quality work I have. Being forced to write, writing for the sake of writing, would just be more writing shit. I don't want that. I'm happy for those who have enjoyed the story, and I did try reaching out to someone to see if they would be interested in taking over the story, but they haven't replied. So unfortunately, I will not be writing anymore, or at least for a long, long, long time.

Thank you again, and I hope you enjoyed my work.


End file.
